


Sayonara Hitori

by The_Pirate_King



Series: Solitary Goodbye [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Armin is a Little Shit, Character Death, Complete, Eren is an awkward turtle, Eren sucks at martial arts, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Implied Mpreg, Its not very descriptive though, Levi Is Bad At Feelings, Levi has magical powers now, Levi is a Little Shit, Levi is a mutant, Levi's breed is not what you think it is, Levi/Eren Yeager-centric, M/M, Master/Slave, Masturbation, Minor Violence, Mutual Pining, Past Levi/Petra, Past Relationship(s), Paternal Levi, Post Mpreg, Slavery, Slow Burn, Sorry Not Sorry, believe me, but it's not graphic, everyone is a little shit, generous amounts of swearing, i literally suck at writing smut, jean the matchmaker, levi is cryptic af, like no one will guess it i promise, so many secrets, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-12 02:05:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 42,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10479669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Pirate_King/pseuds/The_Pirate_King
Summary: Eren lives on the planet Titan, 2,000 lightyears away from Earth. His father forces him to chose a Kyojin- half human, half-animal hybrids that have inhabited the planet centuries before humans arrived- as a slave. Eren is reluctant until he meets Levi, a downright combative Kyojin who refuses to be taken prisoner.Eren is determined to build a friendship with Levi instead of a slave-master relationship. But Eren learns there is a lot more to Levi than meets they eye.Alternatively known as: The fic in which Eren is an awkward turtle, Levi is cryptic as hell, Armin is a therapist, Jean is a matchmaker and Eren's dad makes everything worse.





	1. First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> Hi der! I know that I have another fic I *should* be working on but this just kind of happened. 
> 
> I was talking to my friend whom I'm helping to take care of while she battles stage three breast cancer (we're only 22), and she wanted me to finish an old story for her that I had written but since taken down since it was total crap. She like the idea and so after getting my massive oral surgery I cracked my knuckles and got to work. Having all four wisdom teeth removed, two bone grafts on the bottom so they didn't break my jaw, and a gum graft (which is when they take tissue from your mouth-in my case the top left where my wisdom tooth was- and they sew it onto the front of my mouth where the gums are because my braces caused my gum to recede too much) will put you out of commission for a while. I still can't eat two weeks late D': Yay for my 620 calorie a day soup diet! I swear I'm going to start smelling like a giant tomato soon. 
> 
> So, with my newly found free time off of work, I busted this bad boy out. I decided not to post anything about it on my Tumblr or post any chapters until I completed the fic cause if I did I was afraid I would lose my momentum and not finish. So, that means I have completely finished writing the fic and I'll be posting the chapters every few days as I get them edited. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy my brain baby (that's what my friend calls it when I bust out a fic in two days).

Chapter 1

 

 

Eren leaned his head against the window of the car. He didn’t want to be here right now, locked in a car with his father for a two-hour car ride to go do something he _really_ did not want to do.

 

“Eren,” His father broke the silence after nearly an hour and a half. “We need to have a discussion about what to look for in a potential slave.”

 

“No, we really don’t.” Eren growled. He hated that word. Slave was such a terrible word to Eren. It was like a ball and chain, tying you down against your will and he wanted to have no part in doing that to someone else.

 

“Listen Eren,” His father sighed in frustration as if they had had this conversation dozens of times-which they had. “You know that this is tradition. It’s been around for a century. I will not allow you to break a tradition to appease your bleeding heart.”

 

Eren let out a deep sigh hoping to convey his surrender but also his absolute distaste at this so-called tradition. But that’s what it was really and this tradition did truly span over the better part of a century.

 

It all started when his great grandfather became one of the first people to arrive on the newly discovered planet of Titan. With the Earth slowly collapsing due to the extended environmental abuse it had endured and lack of commitment to creating a better Earth, scientists were desperate to find another hospitable planet. Planets such as Mars turned out not to be as hospitable as they first seemed. But, with the discovery of what was then called Kepler 62, things changed. Scientists discovered a way to get a few brave volunteers to travel to Kepler 62. Eren’s great grandfather and his wife were one of 200 families that traveled to said planet.

 

Fast forward approximately 2,000 light years and they finally arrived. Eren’s great grandfather was a military leader back on Earth and the deemed “captain” of the expedition. Upon arrival they noticed that Kepler 62 was more similar to Earth that they realized. The atmosphere was similar, the days were slightly longer, and the planet had more water and shrubbery than anticipated. They found an open area and began to build homes for themselves.

 

As time went on, they began to feel as if someone or something was watching them. They weren’t wrong. Turns out that Kepler 62 was inhabited by other life forms and said life forms were very interested in these intruders from the sky. It was a little boy that discovered the first life form. For the better part of a year the child would talk about his dog like friend that he had made in the woods, but the adults played it off as an imaginary friend that he created to keep himself company since he was one of only a few children at the time.

 

Eventually at the end of their first year on the foreign planet, the child convinced his friend to visit his family. To say the presence of this newcomer was shocking to the intergalactic pioneers would be downplaying it. They full on panicked. The child though was able to calm everyone down while translating for his friend-turns out that playing with someone who speaks a different language for a year helps you learn their language. This was how the settlement was introduced to the Kyojin.

 

The Kyojin as it turned out, were a race of natives who inhabited the planet. They were a cross between what appeared to be humans and animals. The boy’s friend in particular was dog-like in his appearance. The Kyojin explained that they lived in tribes with others who resembled themselves and were spread out all over the planet. He also named said planet, Titan. The Kyojin’s tribe was very fond of this little boy and that fondness was their ultimate demise.

 

Eren’s great grandfather was not a good man by nature but was an excellent military officer. He saw an opportunity to use these Kyojin for his own personal gain. He waited years for the settlement to become more established. He learned all he could from the Kyojin and befriended all the neighboring tribes. Once he felt the settlement was established he implemented a government. The settlement took to his new monarchy without much fuss. He had been ruling as a king from the get-go so it wasn’t all that unusual for them. What was unusual however was when he ordered his newly established army to enslave the Kyojin.

 

Sure, there was uproar from some who were strongly against the enslavement and slaughter of the Kyojin but one by one those who vocally opposed disappeared into the night. Thoroughly frightened, the protests dwindled and no one spoke out against their king.

 

It wasn’t long until the total enslavement of the Kyojin race. Sure the Kyojin put up fights but it was nearly impossible to fight weapons that they had never seen before. Automatic guns did a great deal of damage against bows and arrows. Kyojin eventually began to go into hiding to avoid enslavement but by then there were so many slaves working in the ever-growing human settlement that it was more common to find a slave than to see a “wild” Kyojin.

 

By the time Eren’s great grandfather had passed, several more settlements were established and slavery was now an accepted and expected thing, especially from the royal family, which Eren was a part of. Well he wasn’t just a part of it-he was the prince. Crown Prince Eren Jaeger at your service.

 

Slaves did a number of things. From what Eren was told, once the Kyojin is captured it is then transported to the city of Shinganshina, a city not far from the capital and a place Eren frequents in the summer. There the Kyojin are taught-forced-to learn human language and other skills that they could potentially use when “adopted” by their owners.

 

But Eren had a sneaking suspicion that they basically beat the Kyojin into submission and then teach them the language and how to cook, clean, sew and so on. He also knew they were taught how to “pleasure” their owners in probably the most cruel ways possible. Kyojin rarely left their place of “employment” and if they did, their owners escorted them to wherever they were going. All in all, Kyojin were sex slaves that did other work and lived out their lives in the confines of a house.

 

And now Eren was expected to pick out a Kyojin for himself. The Kyojin would basically follow him and be at his every beck and call. It was also assumed he would eventually have sex with his Kyojin as well. That was not something Eren was at all interested in.

 

“We’re here.” Eren’s father announced as the car came to a halt in front of a large stone house.

 

On the outside the house looked like one he’d seen in old photographs from Earth. It was stone, had some vines that scaled the walls with a chimney. The house was longer than it was wide and to call it any thing other than a mansion would be inaccurate. This place was huge. It also had a spooky quality to it and Eren suspected that was due to what occurred inside its walls.

 

They were immediately greeted at the door by a tall man in a military suit who opened the front doors for them, revealing a large foyer with a grand staircase in the center of the room. Standing inside were two other military officials dressed similarly to the one who opened the door. One of these officials Eren recognized as being Kenny. Eren didn’t know Kenny’s last name and had only spoken to him a handful of times but he didn’t like Kenny. Kenny was sleazy in every way possible which was fitting seeing as he oversaw the famous “Kyojin Rehabilitation Program.”

 

“Your Highnesses,” Kenny greeted the two with a deep bow. “I am so glad to see you.”

 

“Hello Kenny,” Eren’s father greeted them while Eren just gave a silent nod of recognition. “It has been a while.”

 

“Yes, it’s been at least six months since we last met. How is Carla? I see she has not accompanied you and the Prince today.”

 

“No, she had other matters to tend to.” Eren’s father dismissed. Eren shot his father a quick glare. His mother had no such thing. Eren’s father had banned her from coming because he knew she hated enslaving Kyojin just as much as Eren.

 

“Pity.” Was all Kenny had to say, not missing the looks Eren was directing silently at his father. “Shall we go to the viewing room? I have several Kyojin already picked out for you to see Eren.”

 

“I suppose.” Eren sighed.

 

They were lead down a long hallway behind the staircase that was decorated in “rehabilitation stories” from past Kyojin. At the end of the hall was a set of large wooden doors which Kenny’s silent assistant opened for them.

 

Inside the room was a small raised platform, presumably for the Kyojin and three chairs for the men to sit in. A small door next was behind the stage and had a guard next to it.

 

“Now, Eren,” Kenny spoke as the men took their seats with Eren in the center. “My men will bring in one Kyojin at a time for you to look at. You can ask me or the Kyojin questions if you like. When you settle on one just let me know.”

 

“Okay.” Eren said curtly. He had originally planned on vetoing all of the Kyojin but his mother suggested he settle on one that wasn’t timid and seemed to have a little more life. This way, he could bring the Kyojin home with him and maybe befriend them instead of make them his slave.

 

The viewing began with a very timid Hare Kyojin. While sweet as she seemed, Eren needed someone less timid who wouldn’t cower in fear whenever Eren tried to have a conversation with them. He felt bad for her but vetoed her anyway.

 

This went on for an hour.

 

Kyojin after Kyojin were brought before him but none of them caught his interest. He wanted a friend, not someone who would cower in the corner from him.

 

“Eren,” Kenny sighed, clearly put out by Eren’s indecisiveness. “I only have one more Kyojin available at the moment and I’m not sure how good of a fit he’ll be. He’s been through our process but is still very wild and resistant. We are debating marking him as defective.”

 

Eren knew what defective meant. It meant that the Kyojin was still too hostile and resistant after his or her “rehabilitation” to be able to be safely placed with someone. Kyojin with a defective status were often killed.

 

“Let me be the one to decide that,” Eren said sharply. With an incredulous look, Kenny waved for the guard to retrieve the final Kyojin.

 

It took several long minutes for the guards to return but when they did Eren was shocked. Instead of leading a Kyojin on a leash like a dog, this Kyojin was carried in a cage and the Kyojin was not happy about his treatment either. He paced and hissed at the guards; even swatting at one when he thought they had come too close.

 

The cage was set on the platform and the guards backed away as if it would explode. The Kyojin in the cage hissed at a guard who wasn’t moving away fast enough before turning his attention to the men sitting in front of him.

 

The Kyojin was cat-like in his appearance. He was noticeably shorter than most Kyojin (and humans) Eren had met. The Kyojin had black hair and ears that were a stark contrast to his pale skin. He had long pointed ears with black hair that extended off the tips on his head that were pulled back almost flat against his head. His eyes looked to be bored and his expression conveyed complete disinterest. Eren wondered to himself if the Kyojin always looked like that.

 

“What’s his name?” Eren asked with vague interest.

 

“Uh, Levi, Your Highness.” Kenny answered a little caught off guard by Eren’s question.

 

“And is Levi always like this?” Eren inquired without breaking eye contact with the Kyojin in front of him.

 

“Yes, he is always like this. He is combative on a good day and downright dangerous on a bad day.” Kenny told him. “It took several squads to take him down as opposed to just one. He is not a good slave for a prince like yourself.”

 

“Actually,” Eren said standing up and walking towards Levi. Eren stopped moving immediately but nodded to himself. “He is perfect.”

 

Levi watched him with bored eyes but Eren had a feeling the Kyojin was very interested in him. Once Eren was within five feet of the cage, Levi hissed loudly.

 

“Now Eren-“ His father started.

 

“If you want to force me to have a Kyojin, Father,” Eren said sternly. “Then it will have to be this one. I will not settle on another.”

 

“Very well.” His father sighed. “I guess we’ll be taking Levi off your hands, Kenny.”

 


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin gives Eren some much needed pointers. Levi and Eren have their first real meeting. Eren is awkward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! I present to you Chapter Two! I think there will be a few side stories but I'm not sure yet. You'll notice some places where I could include a side-story but I worked hard to make sure there wasn't any plot holes or anything :) 
> 
> Anyway, I'm glad everyone has enjoyed the first chapter so much and I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter just as much. I know we're off to a slow start but I promise that things will pick up soon.

Chapter 2

 

“So, did you choose a Kyojin?” Armin hounded Eren as soon as they were alone three hours after Eren had chosen Levi. As soon as Eren and his father had arrived back at the Jaeger castle in Sina, Eren hightailed it to Armin’s quarters slash office.

 

Armin was Eren’s best friend and resident Kyojin. Armin was one of two Kyojin that aided their head Knight, Erwin. Ever since being brought to the castle when Eren was eight, he and Armin were best friends. Luckily, Erwin had two Kyojin and supported Armin and Eren’s friendship.

 

“Yes, actually.” Eren told Armin.

 

“Really? What are they like?” Armin asked cocking his head to the side, something he did when something interested him.

 

“His name is Levi. He’s a Feline but I don’t know what tribe he’s from. He’s short and not afraid to beat you to a bloody pulp if he doesn't like you. He didn’t speak so I can’t tell you much on that front but he looks like he’s always bored.” Eren told him.

 

“So let me get this straight,” Armin perked his yellow floppy dog ears up in interest. “You chose a Kyojin that looks like he’s always bored and isn’t afraid to kick your ass?”

 

“Uh if you really want to put it that way, yes.” Eren scratched the back of his head with a crooked smile.

 

“That’s great!” Armin let out a bark of laughter. “Maybe he’ll kick your ass when you get out of line.”

 

“Hey!” Eren protested. “I’m not that bad!”

 

“You told everyone that your birthday party last year was cancelled so you didn’t have to get dressed up and could eat all the cake, Eren.”

 

“So?! Sasha makes good cake!”

 

“Anyway,” Armin moved on. “Are you ready to live with someone else now that you have a Kyojin of your own?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Eren, you do know that you and Levi will be living together in your quarters, right?”

 

“No one told me that!” Eren cried as he shot straight out of his seat. “Why did no one tell me this?!”

 

“Probably because you’d freak out and you are very adamant about not having a Kyojin in the first place. If we told you that you’d have to live with your Kyojin too you would’ve been impossible to get into that car.” Armin explained as if it was so very obvious.

 

“Well, _yeah_. I’ve never shared my room with anyone. Where is he going to sleep?!” Eren ran his hands through his already messy hair.

 

“We set up another bed across from yours and added another dresser for him to put his uniform and clothes in while you were gone.”

 

“Holy shit! I have to live with him! We already took away his freedom and forced slavery on him and now he can’t even have his own room?!”

 

“There are a lot worse living situations he could be in, Eren.” Armin pointed out to the frantic prince. “Your quarters are large enough for two sets of furniture with room for you both to live comfortably and you have an attached bathroom. He could be stuck in a closet.”

 

“I would never put him in a closet, Armin!”

 

“ _That’s_ what you got out of what I just told you?” Armin arched a blond eyebrow at Eren. “Look, as long as you don’t breathe down his neck and give him a little bit of alone time things will be fine. Just don’t be creepy.”

 

“I can do that.”

 

“I sure hope so.” Armin said playfully.

 

“What am I supposed to say to him tonight when I see him?” Eren turned wide green eyes on his friend.

 

“Well, introducing yourself would be a good start.”

 

“Sure, ‘Hi! I’m Prince Eren also known as the direct descendent of the guy who enslaved your people. Nice to meet you! Hope you don’t mind living with me.’ Is a great conversation starter!” Eren said sarcastically.

 

“Well, don’t say it like that.” Armin rolled his eyes at his friend’s antics. “Maybe just start with ‘Hi, I’m Prince Eren. I’m 18 years old and my father forced me to take a Kyojin slave. I don’t personally support slavery and hopefully we can become friends instead’ would be good.” Armin offered.

 

“I like that better.”

 

“I think anyone would. Yours was a little morbid.”

 

“The situation is arguably morbid, Armin.”

 

“Only if you make it that way. If you try to make the best of the situation you may end up with a life long friend. It would be like you and me, Eren.” Armin said hoping to encourage his friend. If Eren approached the situation with a bad attitude he’d likely end up doing something that would ruin his chances of being friends with Levi.

 

“Yeah, that’s true. But what do I say after that?” Eren asked his friend.

 

“Ask him about himself.” Armin suggested. “Ask him what foods he likes, how old he is, what type of Kyojin he is, any hobbies he has, but _do not_ ask him about his capture or his life before being taken. That would just bring up bad memories, which would probably cause him to shut down to you entirely. If that happens, I’m not sure how to repair it.”

 

“Right,” Eren nodded.

 

“Your Highness?” A voice called behind the boys. Both turned around towards the door to the room they were occupying.

 

“Yes, Mina?” Eren asked pleasantly.

 

“Your Kyojin is here. Your father had us take him to your room but asked me to tell you to go help him get settled.” Mina chirped at him in her sweet voice, her large rabbit ears flopping around on top of her head.

 

“Thanks, Mina. I’ll be up in a few minutes.” Eren told her before turning back to Armin. “Well, wish me luck.”

 

Armin stood up and patted his friend’s shoulders in encouragement. “Don’t be creepy.” He reminded him,

 

“Got it!” Eren smiled at his friend and sent him two thumbs up before leaving in the direction of his room.

 

It took Eren thirty minutes to reach his room. He decided to take the longest route possible to give himself time to think of what to say and to let Levi be alone. He assumed that Levi had not had time to himself in quite some time now and would probably appreciate the chance to be alone.

 

Eren hesitated in front of his door, hand outstretched but hovering above the handle. After a moment of thought, Eren knocked before he entered.

 

At first he didn’t see the Kyojin but after a quick survey he realized the Kyojin was standing by the windows. He hesitate to speak for a moment, shocked that this Kyojin who nearly swatted at him last time they met was now quietly observing the pasture below his window. Finally Eren regained his senses and shut the door before entering his room.

 

“Um,” Eren cleared his throat to get the Kyojin’s attention. Levi slowed turned around to face him and fixed Eren with a bored but intense stare. “Hi.” Eren continued dumbly. “Uh, I’m Prince Eren, but you can call me Eren if you want. I know that you probably have been told things by Kenny but I’m not like him.”

 

“When do you want to get on with it, Your Highness?” Levi spoke when Eren finished. Levi’s voice was deep and smooth but held no emotion, similar to his facial expressions.

 

“Get on with what?” Eren asked in confusion.

 

“The sex, Sir.” Levi stated bluntly. “That’s what I’m here for after all.”

 

“W-w-what?! NO!” Eren’s voice squeaked a little in surprise as he practically flailed his hands in front of him. “I don’t want to have sex with you!” Levi cocked his head to the side and raised a brow. “I mean, you aren’t ugly or anything but I just am not interested in forcing that on anyone.”

 

“So later then.” Levi said and nodded as if he was expecting that.  


“No!” Eren shook his head frantically. “What I’m trying to say is that I didn’t bring you here to fulfill some sick sexual fantasy. I didn’t want a slave at all but I was forced to by my father, the King.”

 

“Hmm.” Levi hummed although Eren had the feeling like Levi didn’t believe him.

 

“It’s true! You can ask anyone here. I fought with my dad for years over it. I think it’s wrong to enslave Kyojin. I want you all to be free. But, he’s the king so I had no choice but to get a slave. But I don’t want you for sex or anything. I was thinking we could be more like….friends?” The last part came out as more of a question than a statement. Levi up close had some sort of aura about him that made Eren feel almost small.

 

“So, what do you say?” Eren asked meekly. “Do you think that's doable?”

 

“Being friends?” Levi asked.

 

“Yeah. I mean they would still expect you to do chores and stuff but I could probably get you outta that by saying I need your help with something. And I obviously don’t want to force sex on you so we could just be like roommates I guess.” Eren rambled.

 

“If you insist.” Levi said and let out a tiny yawn.

 

“Oh, you must be tired! I’m so sorry, I forgot how late it actually is with all the traveling.” Eren apologized awkwardly. “I’ll let you get ready for bed. I’ll just be in the bathroom taking a shower but I’ll be quiet!”

 

Before Levi could say anything else, Eren raced into the bathroom and locked the door. He turned on the water and quickly rid himself of his clothes.

 

“Well, that could’ve gone a lot better.” Eren said to himself once he stepped into the shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for Armin! Any guesses on his breed? I think it's pretty obvious lol I was going to make him a rabbit but decided that a dog would fit his personality better. 
> 
> So hint on Levi: He is not a domesticated cat breed. The animal I styled his Kyojin after is classified in the family felinae as opposed to the domestic cat which is felis. Hope that's a good hint!


	3. New Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's father is a jerk. Eren continues to be awkward. Levi opens up a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the...second chapter I posted today? At this rate, I'm going to have this whole story up in like two weeks. But, I am so glad that so many of you like this fic and am overwhelmed by the wonderful responses it is receiving! Thank you! 
> 
> For those who guessed on Armin's Kyojin breed: Yes, he is in fact a Retriever. I never really decided whether or not it was a Golden or a Labrador Retriever though. As far as Armin goes, it doesn't really matter since he only has a few characteristics that define his Kyojin (i.e. enlarged eyes, floppy yellow ears, an otter like tail). So you are free to choose whatever one tickles your fancy! 
> 
> Also, you guys are getting close to Levi's Kyojin. A lot of you have been saying panther so you're getting warmer. You are at least in the correct family. But remember, Panther is a broad term ESPECIALLY if you live in the Americas.

Chapter 3

 

A loud banging stirred Eren from his sleep. He rolled over with a groan and yanked the covers above his head hoping that whoever was at his door would just leave him alone. Don’t they know what time it is? Well, he didn't know what time it was exactly either but he was sure it was too-early-o’clock.

 

Unfortunately for Eren, the knocking didn’t cease despite his best efforts at ignoring them. He heard some shuffling behind him but his brain couldn’t fully process what the shuffling was. His brain did not work at the ass crack of dawn.

 

“Eren, wake up.” His father said as he pulled the covers off the bed.

 

“How did you get in here?” Eren groaned and sat up blinking sleepily at his father.

 

“Levi let me in.” His father waved at Levi, who was already dressed. “We need to talk about tonight.”

 

“What about tonight?” Eren asked his father, confused. He didn’t remember having specific plans with his father tonight.

 

“We are having a formal dinner tonight with some of the other noble families.” His father informed him.

 

“We are?” Eren’s eyebrows scrunched together.

 

“Yes, and I expect you to be there tonight. I also expect Levi to accompany you.” His father crossed his arms in front of his chest.

 

“Is this a dinner or you wanting to put Levi on display for everyone?” Eren asked bluntly. He was not in the mood to play games with his father. He was never in the mood to be completely honest.

 

“Both I suppose.” His father shrugged. “Regardless of what you want to call it, I expect you to be ready and at the dining room at five thirty on the dot. Understand?”

 

“Do I have a choice?” Eren asked his father, already knowing the answer.

 

“No.” His father said curtly before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

 

“Always needing to have the last word.” Eren snarled and threw his hands up in frustration. It was then he noticed Levi hovering against the wall eyeing him. “Sorry about that. He’s so demanding.”

 

“He is the King, Sir.” Levi said with no emotion.

 

“I told you that you could just call me Eren, Levi.” Eren sighed. “I’m not interested in being your ‘master’. I’d much rather we be friends.”

 

“Can I speak freely?” Levi asked him warily.

 

“Of course.” Eren told him enthusiastically. Maybe they were getting somewhere. “You don't have to ask. You can always speak freely to me.”

 

“Why are you so against the tradition that your family started?” Levi asked not moving from his spot against the wall.

 

“Well, my mom is really the one that taught be about how to treat everyone decently. Over time I came to realize how wrong it is that your people are being taken from your families and homes just to serve us until you die. You were here first, long before my great-grandfather showed up. We had- _have_ -no right to do that to you.”

 

“Do you really feel that way or are you just trying to get me to like you?” Levi really didn’t beat around the bush. Eren could get behind that.

 

“No, I really feel like that. If it were up to me, slavery would be outlawed. But I’m not king right now so I have no power. I have to wait for him to die.”

 

“Do you really dislike your father that much?” Levi arched one of his thin brows.

 

“That’s a nice way of putting it, but yes. He’s everything that I don’t want to be. He ignores my mother, he’s rude to everyone that works here, he thinks that Kyojin aren’t even beings with feelings. He’s terrible.” Eren frowned and shook his head.

 

“Sounds like a typical royal to me.” Levi breathed and Eren could barely hear him.

 

“Yeah, basically.” Eren shrugged. “There’s a few that aren’t that bad. Krista is pretty nice. She’s a royal but she likes to work in the kitchen. She says that if she wasn’t a royal she’d be a chef.”

 

“Reiss?” Levi asked.

 

“Uh, yeah. How’d you know?” Eren was shocked that Levi would even know the Reiss family name. Sure, they were well known in the human world but as far as Eren knew, Levi had had no contact with the human world outside of Eren and the compound he was in.

 

“Lucky guess.” Levi shrugged.

 

“Uh, okay.” Eren decided not to push. “So, tell me about yourself.”

 

“Is that an order?”

 

“No, I wouldn’t order you to do that. It was just me wanting to get to know you.” Eren said as he rose out of bed and headed to the bathroom. “I won’t push you though. You don’t have to tell me anything.”

 

Right as Eren was about to walk into the bathroom he heard Levi talking behind him.

 

“Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.” Eren said softly as he turned around to face the Kyojin.

 

“I said, ‘I was captured about a year ago.’” Levi repeated a little louder.

 

“Really?” Levi nodded. “That’s a long time. Usually they try to rehabilitate within six months.”

 

“Well, I wasn’t exactly cooperating.” Levi explained.

 

“Yeah, I noticed that. That’s why I chose you. I wanted someone I could talk to, not someone who’d hide from me.” Eren offered hoping to break down a few of Levi’s walls. “What kind of tribe did you live in?”

 

“We were a relatively peaceful tribe. Nomads mostly. We were strong warriors though. I was the head of the warriors of my tribe, which is why I was so hard to capture.”

 

“Really? That’s cool! You should totally come with me to training sometime! Maybe you could teach me some moves or something!”

 

“You’d want your slave to teach you sparring techniques?” Levi asked in disbelief. This kid couldn’t be for real.

 

“Sure! You probably know some things I don’t. It’d be kind of fun!” Eren chirped. “How old are you?”

 

“We don’t measure our ages the same as you.” Levi said.

 

“Oh.” Eren replied dumbly. Of course they didn’t. Humans measured time differently than Kyojin.

 

“I’ve been told that I’m about 25 or 26 in human years though.” Levi divulged, feeling slightly awkward.

 

“Oh, so you’re about seven years older than me then!” Eren smiled.

 

 

“I guess so.” Levi shrugged. He didn’t really understand the emphasis humans seemed to put on age. It wasn’t that big of a deal for his kind. Sure, they celebrated birthdays-especially for the youngsters-but they didn’t really keep track of their age.

 

“I better get cleaned up,” Eren said realizing that Levi was beginning to feel uncomfortable. “I don’t really want to go to this dinner but I also don’t feel like fighting with my dad tonight. Maybe tomorrow.”

 

“Do you need any help?” Levi asked resuming his role as a slave.

 

“Nah,” Eren said quickly, trying to hide the flush on his face at the idea of Levi seeing him naked. “I’ve managed showers by myself for a while now so I think I’m good. Thanks though.”

 

Eren could swear that he saw a small smile on Levi’s face as he shut the door to the bathroom behind himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a build up to the following, oh, three or so chapters. The next one is going to be packed with information so that'll be good. Although I hope this chapter was at least decent with the inclusion of some of Levi's past. 
> 
> Hint on Levi's Kyojin: His breed is one of the oldest in its family, with the modern breed being traced back as far as 8.5 million years ago. The last Ice Age was approximately 13 million years ago. This is an old cat.


	4. Dinner With The Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren is dragged to dinner. Levi accompanies him and behaves. Carla is nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STAHP! If you are following this fic as I update, make sure you have read chapters two and three first. I've been editing like a mad man (that's what happens when you have nothing to do after getting surgery) and so these chapters are being cranked out faster than even I expected. If you're reading this after I've finished uploading all the chapters then carry on. 
> 
> This is where things start to kind of pick up. We learn more about Levi and more characters are going to start being introduced. So we are slowly but surely getting to know more about Levi and his past. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 4

 

“I really don’t want to do this,” Eren sighed as he and Levi made their way to the dinning room. He wasn’t looking forward to parading Levi around like some sort of circus animal.

 

“You need to though. The King ordered us to go.” Levi said quietly to Eren.

 

“I know but I really don’t like that you have to wear that.” Eren gestured at Levi’s attire.

 

He was barefoot, wearing wine colored harem pants that were tight around his ankles and waist but loose around his thighs and calves. The decorative blue sash tied at the waist of his pants signified that he belonged to the prince. He had a white dress shirt on with a blue vest over the top, which had the Jaeger family crest stitched in. Levi also wore a green collar around his neck, yet another way for others to know that Levi belonged to Eren. But it wasn’t his clothes that necessarily bothered Eren. It was the bracelets he wore around his wrists and ankles. While they appeared to be decorative, Eren knew that they contained the ability to shock Levi should his father decide that Levi was acting out of line

 

“It’s standard attire for us.” Levi shrugged but he didn’t particularly want to wear the slave uniform either. But he did appreciate that he didn’t have to wear shoes. Shoes were fucking awful. They constricted Levi’s feet, making them ache and sweat uncomfortably.

 

“Yeah, but they could at least give you the dignity of a pair of shoes. I’d hate for you to step on something and hurt your feet.” Eren said.

 

“It’s not that bad. I’m used to it.” Levi told him.

 

“What did your people wear?” Eren asked curiously.

 

“We wore clothes similar to a long tunic. Because of my stat….” Levi trailed off as though he didn’t mean to say something. Eren didn’t press him and let Levi continue when he was ready. “Uh, status as warrior I wore a neck tie. I think humans call it a cravat?”

 

“Those are the things that tie around your neck right?” Eren asked.

 

“Yeah.” Levi nodded. “We wore pants made of hide from animals we hunted and we didn’t have shoes.”

 

“No shoes? But you were a nomadic tribe. Wouldn’t you hurt your feet walking around so much without something protecting your feet?”

  
“We don’t need them.” Levi stopped and lifted his right foot up for Eren to see. Eren noticed that Levi’s feet seemed to be padded, protected by rough skin similar to a cat’s paw.

 

“Oh, that’s helpful.” Eren laughed but became solemn as they stopped before a large wooden door. “Here we are.”

 

“We should go in then.” Levi said to Eren.

 

“If you get uncomfortable by anything anyone says or does to you, let me know. You technically belong to me as far as everyone else is concerned, so you don’t have to take shit. Some of those people in there will try to push you into acting out because of stories they’ve heard but if you just poke my arm, I’ll know to shut them down.” Eren told Levi.

 

“I’ll be fine. I’m used to it by now.” Levi stated.

 

“I know but it doesn’t make it right and you don’t have to tolerate that.” Eren insisted.

 

“Thanks,” Levi said, avoiding Eren’s eyes. He turned back towards the doors mentally preparing himself for his first appearance as a royal slave.

 

“And Levi,” Eren touched Levi’s arms to get his attention. “Don’t pay any attention to anything my father says about you, okay?”

 

“Okay.” Levi said.

 

With a deep breath, Eren opened the doors and entered the room, Levi following behind him as a slave was expected to do. Slave either walked next to or behind their masters but never in front. They could be beaten for that kind of blatant disrespect.

 

The dinning room was huge, larger than anything Levi had seen before. It was decorated in hues of gold, wine, blue and green-all colors of the Jaeger family. The wall opposite of the door they entered in was covered in windows that overlooked the courtyard below. Huge wine colored curtains hung on the sides of each individual window and the curtains were tied back with gold ropes. In the center of the room was a massive table that could sit at least a hundred people. The chairs were wood with blue and green alternating cushions on the seats. The fine china glistened under the lights of the chandeliers spaced across the ceiling. A huge painted portrait of Eren’s great-grandfather hung over a fireplace which was lit at the current moment. People dressed in their formal clothes were scattered around the room talking and sipping on wine.

 

Various slaves flinted around the room dodging and ducking between royals who paid little to no attention to them. Some were the cooks’ assistants, going around the room taking empty glasses and supplying the royals with new glasses of wine. Other slaves were dressed in attire similar to Levi’s. Each one wore sashes at their waste that differed in colors depending on which royal they belonged to but the clothes were pretty standard otherwise. Levi noted that his were slightly fancier than most of the other slaves, most likely because of his connection to Eren.

 

“Eren!” A woman’s voice called out over the chatter of several conversations going on among other nobles in the room.

 

“Ma,” Eren smiled at the woman approaching the pair.

 

The woman, Eren’s mother, was dressed just as nicely as Eren. She wore a green Victorian style dress with blue accents. These style of dresses were not uncommon among those who came from families with money and power, both of which the Queen possessed. She had her brown hair curled and tied in a ponytail, which rested over her shoulder. She looked shockingly young for someone who had an 18 year-old son, the only feature that betrayed her youthful face were the fine lines around her honey colored eyes. She had a wide smile that showed all over her white teeth.

 

The moment the Queen reached the pair, she greeted Eren with a large hug and a kiss on his cheek. To Levi’s surprise, Eren didn’t act bothered by the display but laughed instead.

 

“How are you?” The Queen asked her son.

 

“Fine,” Eren shrugged. “Not pleased I’m here though.”

 

“I know,” The Queen sighed with a frown. “I tried to convince your father not to do this but you know how he is. You both can be so stubborn.”

 

“Am not.” Eren grumbled.

 

“You must be Levi! I’ve heard all about you!” The Queen proclaimed, ignoring her son and turning her attention to Levi who stood silently behind Eren.

 

“Your Highness,” Levi bowed in respect but was surprised when the Queen shooed at his bow.

 

“None of that,” she told him. “Please, call me Carla.”

 

“I mean no disrespect but I’m not sure I can do that, Ma’am.” Levi said politely. He did not feel like receiving a beating from Eren’s father for disrespecting the Queen, even if it was her idea.

 

“Of course not here!” The Queen scoffed. “But should we cross paths during our regular days, feel free to call me Carla.”

 

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Levi nodded his head.

 

“I do hope my son has been treating you well.” Carla continued chatting at him as if he was a close friend and not her son’s slave. “He tends to be stubborn as a yak and quite the hothead!”

 

“MA!” Eren protested her statement.

 

“What? You are! I should know since I raised you.” She laughed. Levi had to fight a smile at Carla’s antics. “He’s always been like that. He would get so riled up when he was a child. He usually responded fist first.”

 

“I believe it.” Levi said to her. He decided he liked Carla. “But he has been quite accommodating.”

 

“Good!” Carla smiled at Levi. “I better go though. I must mingle with the other nobles.” Carla winked before giving Eren a hug and Levi a pat on the shoulder. “Enjoy the party!”

 

“Thanks, Ma.” Eren smiled at his mother as she turned to leave.

 

“She’s very kind.” Levi said quietly so only Eren could hear him. It would unacceptable for a slave to speak about the Queen so openly to the Prince.

 

“Yeah, she’s pretty great.” Eren smiled at Levi before moving in the direction of one of the cooks’ slaves. “Come on, I need alcohol if I’m going to deal with these snobs.”

 

The mingling wasn’t so bad, Levi thought. Eren seemed very composed and pleasant for someone who didn’t even want to be there in the first place. Some of the royals commented on Levi’s demeanor, telling Eren he should tell his slave to be more inviting and less standoffish. Eren immediately shut these statements down telling the royals to fuck off in much more eloquent words.

 

When dinner finally was served, Eren sat at the front of the table. Obviously, the King sat at he head of the table flanked by Eren and his mother. Levi, like all the other slaves, stood against the wall behind his master. Should Eren need anything, Levi would be there to retrieve it for him.

 

Dinner went smoothly, conversation was kept light and usually steered clear of any slave-related topics thanks to Carla. Eren did notice that his mother’s Kyojin and his close friend, Mikasa, was staring intently at Levi. It almost looked as if she recognized the other man. Levi for the most part never looked anywhere other than the walls across from him or at the back of Eren’s head. Eren made a mental note ask Mikasa about Levi later when they had the chance to talk. Maybe she knew something about Levi that could help Eren get to know his Kyojin better.

 

Thankfully, dinner ended quickly and Eren and Levi found themselves back in their room not too long after.

 

“Well that went better than expected,” Eren said out loud as he pulled the blankets down so he could crawl into bed.

 

“Yes, it was relatively manageable.” Levi agreed.

 

“I always feel bad for you guys at the dinners though.” Eren sighed sadly.

 

“Why?” Levi inquired as he crawled into his bed.

 

“Because you have to watch us eat while you wait for us to finish so you can eat in a different room. I wish you could eat with us.” Eren said.

 

“It’s how things are.” Levi said quietly, a little surprised by Eren’s statement.

 

“I know but it still doesn’t mean it’s right.” Eren said letting out a yawn.

 

“Goodnight, Eren.” Levi said, turning off the lights, effectively ending the conversation.

 

“Goodnight, Levi.” Eren said into the darkness of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hopefully you enjoyed learning about how Levi's tribe dressed. I threw in some other subtle hints but they won't make sense until later chapters even if you look. 
> 
> Hint about Levi's Kyojin: His species are affectionately referred to as "fussy eaters" because they never eat the organs because organs are gross. His breed will neatly strip their larger kills of fur and even pluck the fur off of their smaller prey before eating the meat. Fits Levi's personality to a "T" doesn't it?


	5. A Lesson Learned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Jean spar. Levi and Armin talk. Jean makes a good suggestion for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STAPH! If you haven't read Chapter 4 then read it before you read this! If you are reading this after I've finished the fic, then just ignore my warnings. I update several times a day :) 
> 
> Lots of good guesses are coming in on Levi's Kyojin! You'll be able to learn what breed he is in the next few chapters (maybe by tonight or tomorrow)! 
> 
> Anyway hope you enjoy this chapter! More information is learned :)

Chapter 5

 

The morning brought with it the sun, which shone through the windows and directly into Eren’s face. Letting out a long groan, Eren rolled over and covered his head with his blankets hoping to shield himself from the sun’s bright rays. Unfortunately for Eren, the moment he was beginning to feel sleep take him, the knocking began. Again. For the second day in a row.

 

“God dammit,” Eren protested sleepily. “Can’t a guy get any sleep around here?”

 

“No,” Eren heard Armin say. What was Armin doing in his room?

 

“What are you doing here?” Eren asked pulling down his covers.

 

“Waking you up.” Armin ripped the covers completely off the bed, leaving Eren in only his pajamas. “You’re going to be late for your training. Again.”

 

“Oh come on, Armin. I can miss one day of training,” Eren pleaded as he tried to grab his blankets back from his friend.

 

“That’s what you said last time. And the time before that,” Armin informed him as he yanked his hands back before Eren could grab hold of the blankets. Damn his Kyojin reflexes. “Now get up. I’m surprised Levi hasn’t woken you up yet. Usually we’re supposed to wake our masters in the mornings.” Armin looked over to Levi’s bed to find it empty. “Where is Levi?” Armin questioned looking around the room.

 

Just as the words left Armin’s mouth, the bathroom door opened revealing a wet but dressed Levi. Levi looked up from folding his pajamas to see Armin.

 

“Good morning,” Levi said, nodding at Armin.   


“Good morning, you must Eren’s new Kyojin.” Armin nodded back in greeting.

 

“Yes, and you are?” Levi asked. Eren nearly laughed at how blunt the Kyojin was when he wasn’t around royalty. The look on Armin’s face was priceless.

 

“I’m Armin,” His friend replied after getting over his momentary shock. “I’m the slave to the Commander and Eren’s best friend.”

 

“I see,” Was all Levi said before going back to folding his clothes.

 

“Anyway, I was just waking Eren up for his morning training.” Armin told the other Kyojin. “He always tries to get out of it if he can.”

 

“Do not!” Eren protested his friend’s accusation. Levi just gave a non-committal hum in response.

 

“Yes, you do.” Armin sent his friend a pointed look. “Now get up and get ready. You have fifteen minutes until you need to be down in the training arena.”

 

“Fine, fine.” Eren sighed and swung his legs off he bed while he let out a long yawn. “I’ll be there.”

 

“Don’t make me come back for you.” Armin warned before laying the blankets on the bed and turning to Levi. “I trust you’ll make sure he arrives on time.”

 

“I will,” Levi nodded once watching the other Kyojin go.

 

Eren grumbled something about being tag teamed under his breath before going to take a quick shower and brush his teeth. He didn’t worry about taming his hair since it had proven countless times over his lifetime to be untamable. Once dressed, he exited the bathroom.

 

The first thing he noticed was how immaculately clean his bedroom suddenly was. Eren wasn’t by any means a slob but he wasn’t _this_ neat either. It was apparent that not only was Levi great at cleaning but he was efficient at it as well.

 

“Wow,” Eren let out an appreciative hum. “You really got to work, didn’t you?”

 

“Well, it is my job and I didn’t have much else to do while you were in there.” Levi shrugged.

 

“Well, thanks.” Eren laughed lightly before looking at the time. “I guess I should head down now.”

 

“Yes, I was about to get you if you didn’t finish soon.” Levi told him as he followed Eren out of his room.

 

The slaves were already hard at work dusting, vacuuming the halls, cleaning the windows and polishing the hardwood. Levi wasn't too surprised they were up so early. Kyojin naturally were early risers. They woke with the sun in order to make the most of the daylight, especially in the dark winters. Only select Kyojin types were nocturnal. Levi had come across one while in “rehabilitation” and trying to break the habit proved to be difficult. Levi pitied the girl to be honest.

 

“Good morning,” Eren said to the Kyojin as they passed, offering a tired but friendly wave.

 

“Good morning, sir.” The Kyojin responded in friendly voices. Some of the Kyojin even waved back at Eren.

 

“Do you know them?” Levi asked as they walked out of earshot.

 

“Some of them.” Eren shrugged. “Never hurts to be friendly though. Their life is hard enough as is. They don’t need a rude Prince on top of it all.”

 

“I see,” Levi said but didn’t look at him.

 

They walked for a moment in silence before Eren could no longer stand it. It wasn’t that Eren didn’t mind silence from time to time; he just didn’t want things to become awkward with Levi.

 

“So,” Eren began. “Do you know anything about where we are going?”

 

“No,” Levi said honestly. “I was given a sheet of your daily routine but I haven’t had a chance to really look at it yet.”

 

“Of course they gave you a sheet. That was probably Armin’s idea,” Eren groaned in embarrassment. Dammit, Armin.

 

“Don’t be upset, it is my job to know your schedule and to accompany you and make sure you arrive to your commitments.” Levi told him.

 

“Still! You aren’t my babysitter, Levi. You’re my friend.” Eren told the Kyojin. “Anyway, I have training in the morning. I’m not a knight but since I’m the Prince I still have to learn how to defend myself and fight in case they require my assistance in battle. Not that we’ve ever been at battle.” Eren said but missed the brief dark look the crossed over Levi’s face.

 

“Makes sense.” Was Levi’s reply.

 

“I usually spar with Jean, but sometimes Reiner will trade with Jean and I get to spar with him.” Eren complained. “Hopefully, today is one of those days.”

 

But, it was apparent that today was not one of those days when the two made it to the arena.

 

The arena was a large room with hard wood floors and a large, vaulted ceiling. There were sparring rings scattered around the room that were fenced off. They were cushioned with mats to help prevent injuries. Not very realistic since there aren’t mats in the real world but if it made the humans feel better then Levi couldn’t say anything. The rings varied in size with the largest in the center flanked by smaller but still spacious rings. Levi didn’t quite understand the reasoning behind the varied sizes but then again, humans were weird and he didn’t think he’d ever fully understand them.

 

Levi assumed that Eren would be sparring in the center ring since there was already another man with two-toned brown hair inside it and Armin was leaning against the railings talking to two-toned hair. When the pair spotted Eren and Levi, Armin waved at them.

 

“I’m glad you made it on time,” Armin told his friend as soon as they were close enough to hear him.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Eren rolled his eyes. “It’s not like you or Levi would let me skip today anyway.”

 

“For good reason,” Two-toned said. Levi assumed this was Jean, the boy Eren was complaining about earlier. “You need all the sparring practice you can get, Jaeger.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Eren glared at Jean. “Wanna see who can kick your ass, Horse Face?”

 

“Bring it, _Your Highness_!” Jean challenged, sneering the last part.

 

At the insult, Eren jumped over the fence and into the ring with Jean. Now that Levi had a good look at Jean, he could see why Eren called him Horse Face.

 

Jean was almost the same height as Eren, with short two-toned brown hair and a long face. He wasn’t as muscular as Eren but Levi knew from personal experience not to be deceived by outward appearances.

 

As soon as Eren entered the ring, both boys assumed fighting stances. Levi was interested to see how well Eren could hold his own in a fight or if all his boasting was just talk.

 

The boys circled each other, calling out various insults, for a moment before Eren took the first swing. Jean easily dodged the swing, almost as if he was expecting it.

 

“Eren is so impatient.” Armin sighed. “They do this every time. They insult each other until Eren becomes too impatient and his temper gets to him and then he swings at Jean. They’ll trade blows for a bit and then when Eren becomes too tired, Jean strikes and KOs him.”

 

“So he loses every time they spar?” Levi asked the blond.

 

“Meh,” Armin made a waved his hand side to side. “Sometimes he’s able to one-up Jean, but he usually lets his temper get in the way. If he’s fighting Reiner then it’s a more fair fight. Jean just knows how to rile Eren up and uses it to his advantage. Eren’s actually pretty good but he’s still got a lot to learn.”

 

“I see,” Levi hummed, keeping his eyes trained on the pair. “He clearly has a solid foundation but he hasn’t quite perfected it yet. His stance is off and his arms are too high up. He’s left himself open for a kick in the ribs.”

 

Armin looked at the other Kyojin for a long moment before switching into a language foreign to the humans in the ring. He wanted some privacy without looking suspicious.

 

“You know an awful lot about fighting, Levi.” Armin said to the Kyojin.

 

Levi looked at Armin and for a split second shock showed in his eyes. But before Armin could really see the emotion it was gone, replaced by his usual, stoic demeanor.

 

“You still remember Kyojin, then.” He hummed at the other Kyojin.

 

“Yes, I use it with Mike from time to time.” Armin told him. “Mike is my master’s _other_ Kyojin.”

 

Levi did not miss the way Armin said “other”. The emphasis implied that Armin was not being used for sexual favors and probably just acted as an assistant to his master. While not uncommon, he was surprised. Usually masters preferred younger Kyojin to relieve their “tensions” with.

 

“I see,” Levi said so that Armin knew he didn’t miss the underlying meaning.

 

“Does Eren know that you were a warrior?” Armin finally asked.

 

“Yes, but I doubt he knows what exactly it means. He gets the idea though.” Levi said honestly. There was no point in lying to the kid, he was obviously intelligent and he was also Eren’s best friend.

 

“Of course not,” Armin said, looking back at the two humans who were trading punches. “They don’t teach them about our culture; probably to keep us from being more than slaves to them. It’d be dangerous if they began to show us the same sympathy and compassion Eren does. It could lead to a coup.”

 

“I suppose so,” Levi considered Armin’s words before switching back into human language. “Looks like Jean beat Eren.”

 

“Not again,” Armin sighed.

 

“Not talking now are you, Jaeger?” Jean grinned triumphantly as Eren stood up from the dust he was previously lying in.

 

“Shut up, Horse Face! I could still beat you, I’m just tired is all.” Eren excused.

 

“Maybe you need a tutor,” Jean laughed. “Otherwise, you may die if you end up in battle. Kyojin are crazy good at hand-to-hand.”

 

“You act like you’ve seen it first hand,” Eren pointed out.

 

“No, but I’ve watched Reiner and Bert spar before and let me tell you, for being a nervous wreak, Bert held his own.”

 

“Really? I can’t picture Bert being anything other than his usually skittish self.” Eren said.

  
“All Kyojin are trained at some point, dude. Just ask Levi,” Jean turned to the two Kyojin. “Am I right?”

 

“You’re not wrong.” Levi said.

 

“Really?” Eren’s green eyes widened in surprise as he approached the fence where Levi and Armin stood.

 

“Yes,” Levi said. “It’s essential in our world that we all know how to fight. Some are more extensively trained than others, but the principles are instilled when we’re young.”

 

“You should show me some of your moves,” Eren said excitedly. “I want to see how good you are.”

 

“I don’t think that's a good idea, Eren.” Armin fretted at his friend.

 

“It’ll be fine, Armin. I’m the Prince. No one would tell me that I couldn’t spar with my Kyojin.” Eren reminded his friend before looking Levi in the eyes. “I won’t force you but I’d love to see some of the moves you have.”

 

After a moment of hesitation and consideration Levi finally sighed, “Fine,” before jumping into the ring, effectively trading places with Jean who jumped down by Armin.

 

“This should be good,” Jean chuckled.

 

“It’ll be something,” Armin groaned. “I wasn’t worried about Eren getting in trouble; I was worried that Levi would kick his ass too hard.”

 

“Oh hoh. I’m loving this already.” Jean announced.

 

Eren and Levi walked to opposite ends of the center of the ring before taking up a fighting stance. After Jean shouted, “Go!” they began to circle each other.

 

Right away, Eren could tell Levi was assessing Eren’s stance. Levi didn’t bother to look at his face opting to look at Eren’s feet and arms. After a while of no moves on Levi’s part, Eren decided to strike.

 

Eren shuffled his feet slightly to the left before jumping to the right to throw Levi’s defenses off before aiming a punch to his side. Eren wasn’t expecting for Levi to anticipate the move. Levi responded to the false movements by moving back and to the right before ducking under Eren’s fist.

 

Before Eren could recover, Levi struck. He blocked the punch with his left forearm and dropped into a crouch, using his leg to swipe Eren’s feet out from under him. The moment Eren hit the ground Levi was on him, pressing his arm under Eren’s chin and directly over his trachea and straddling his legs to keep Eren from being able to stand up.

 

The whole fight was over in less than a minute.

 

“Holy shit!” Jean cried in surprise after a moment. “That was fucking awesome!”

 

“Woah,” Eren huffed under Levi.

 

They were still pressed together, Levi straddling Eren with his face hovering above him. They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment before Eren blushed and Levi pulled away. He got off of Eren and held out his hand to help the man up, which Eren gratefully took.

 

“That was incredible, Levi.” Eren smiled at the short Kyojin.

 

“It wasn’t that impressive,” Levi told him.

 

“You gotta tell me how you did that!” Eren insisted.

 

“It wasn’t hard really,” Levi told him reluctantly. “Your stance is too wide which set you off balance when you tried to hit me. All I had to do was wait for you to strike so I could use your balance to my advantage.”

 

“You got to train me, Levi!” Eren insisted. “You’re amazing and no one has ever told me anything about my stance before!”

 

“I doubt that since it’s very obvious when you watch you fight,” Levi cocked a brow in disbelief.

 

“No seriously, no one gives Eren critique.” Jean told Levi. “They’re too scared to because he’s the Prince. They don’t want him to get mad and get them fired. Even if they are right.”

 

“It’s annoying,” Eren sighed in frustration.   


“It’s detrimental to your fighting.” Levi said. “You also hold your arms up too high.”

 

“Really?” Eren said.

 

Levi nodded his head, “Here, show me how you normal stand.” When Eren took his stance, Levi walked up to him and continued. “Your legs are too wide,” He used his foot to nudge Eren’s legs closer together. “Your arms don’t need to be up so high either. You’re leaving yourself open to a kick in the ribs.” Levi demonstrated by lightly taping Eren in the ribs with his foot before lowering Eren’s fists with his hands.

 

“Hold them down here,” He told him before trying to lightly kick Eren again but was blocked by Eren’s arms. “It allows you to protect your side but is still close enough that you can quickly block a punch to the face as well.”

 

“Holy shit,” Eren said when he realized Levi was right. “Levi, now you really have to train me! You’re the only one who isn’t scared to critique me!”

 

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Eren.” Levi told him hesitantly.

 

“No one else is going to help me and Jean’s right; I could get killed in battle unless someone teaches me how to really fight.” Eren pointed out.

 

“It would look bad if anyone saw a slave teaching the Prince to fight,” Levi pointed out but his resolve was wavering. Eren’s pleading green eyes and actual point was making it hard for him to say no.

 

“If they say anything I’ll let them know it was my idea!” Eren told him. “Please, Levi? I don't wanna die.” He pouted.

 

“Fine,” Levi sighed after a moment’s hesitation.

 

“YES!” Eren fist pumped into the air. “Watch out, Horse Face, I’m gonna be unbeatable soon!”

 

“Dream on, Jaeger.” Jean rolled his eyes.

 

“Eren, you need to get moving,” Armin finally interjected. “You have class in five minutes.”

 

“Shit!” Eren cried before grabbing Levi’s wrist and tugging him towards the doors to the castle. “Come on, Levi; we’re gonna be late!”

 

As soon as the pair were out of earshot Armin fixed a glare on Jean.

 

“Why’d you do that?” Armin growled at the human.

 

“Do what?” Jean feigned innocence.

 

“Suggest that Levi trains Eren.” Armin crossed his arms while continuing to glare at Jean.

 

“Because, Levi’s fucking amazing and Eren really does need the help. I wasn’t lying when I said that none of the trainers ever critique Eren’s fighting when we’re at practice.” Jean informed him. “Besides, did you not feel the sexual tension they emitted when Levi pinned Eren to the ground?” Armin just rolled his eyes.

 

“You better hope that your brilliant idea doesn’t backfire, Jean.” Armin hissed.

 

“Have a little faith my furry friend,” Jean patted Armin on the shoulder and laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. A little bit of action here, a little bit of dialogue there, and more background story. 
> 
> Hint to Levi's Kyojin: His breed is the fastest and heaviest of its subfamily.


	6. The (Unwanted) Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with Carla. Mikasa is aggressive at staring contests. Levi has an unwanted conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STAHP! As always, be sure you have read the previous chapter before reading this one. While you could probably get away with skipping a chapter with the past few chapters, starting from here on out, that's not a thing you can do. Each chapter contains vital information and if you skip even one then you'll end up lost in the next one. It doesn't help that I'm updating 2-3 times a day.
> 
> This is one of my shortest chapters, along with the next chapter, maxing out at 1,900 words/ 11 pages. Most of my chapters have at least 2k but this chapter I had to cut off where I did for obvious reasons and same goes for the next. Although one of my later chapters is a fucking beast clocking out at almost 20 pages so look forward to that puppy. 
> 
>  
> 
> Okay, I'll shut up now. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

 

“I am so glad it’s time for dinner,” Eren announced as he and Levi made their way to the dining hall. “I’m so tired after all that learning.”

 

After practice, Eren and Levi had raced across nearly half the castle to Eren’s first class of the day. Just like other royals that were his age, Eren was required by his parents to take various courses in several different subjects. While Eren could understand learning to read and write and basic math, he didn’t understand why he had to learn three separate languages, and the biology of Planet Earth. He didn’t even live in the same _solar system_ as Earth, so why he had to learn about it was beyond him.

 

Levi remained with Eren for a majority of his classes, standing in the back of the room against the wall with the other Kyojin who served the other royals in Eren’s courses. Levi and the other Kyojin were not permitted to talk to each other in fear it would distract the royals from their learning.

 

Levi didn’t mind attending Eren’s courses half as much as Eren did. He mainly zoned out for most of them, only paying attention when Eren needed a new pencil or more paper. He did however enjoy learning about Earth. His knowledge of the humans’ home planet was extremely limited and he found it fascinating to see the other animals on their home planet.

 

“Will the King be joining us tonight?” Levi asked.

 

“Nah, he has some meeting he has to go to so he’ll be gone all week.” Eren said merrily. Clearly the idea of having his father out of the castle was a pleasant one to the prince.

 

“I see,” Levi said.

 

“It’ll just be us, my mom, and Mikasa tonight.” Eren told him as they approached the dining room.

 

Levi wasn’t entirely displeased by this. Eren’s mother seemed kind enough and he and Mikasa had never actually spoken since his arrival. He knew she’d want to speak with him eventually but he wasn’t too keen on the idea of having a conversation with the other Kyojin.

 

Eren’s mother had beaten them to dinner it seemed as she was already seated at the table. Levi was surprised to see Mikasa sitting next to her, sipping from a wine glass. Slaves were taught that they were not permitted to sit much less eat with their masters during a meal. They were to wait behind them and fetch anything they needed. Once dinner was complete, the Kyojin were allowed to eat but only in the kitchen, away from their master and out of sight.

 

Levi figured that by the way Eren sat casually across from his mother and Mikasa that this was a regular thing. Still, Levi remained standing behind Eren, unsure of what to do. Instead Levi bowed politely at Eren’s mother in greeting.

 

“Levi,” Eren’s mother said after realizing Levi had no intentions of sitting next to Eren. “Why don’t you sit with us?”

 

“I’m not sure-“ Levi began.

 

“Nonsense!” Carla laughed. “Sit, sit! Enjoy the meal! Sasha made an amazing roast tonight!”

 

After a moment, Levi reluctantly sat down in the empty chair on Eren’s right. Right across from Mikasa who had been staring at him over her red scarf since he entered the room with Eren. Great.

 

After he sat down, Eren poured him a glass of wine and set a piece of meat down on the plate in front of him.

 

“Mom is right,” Eren told him with a smile. “Sasha makes a killer roast.”

 

Levi just stared at his plate for a brief moment before grabbing his knife and fork and cutting the meat into smaller pieces, trying to ignore the hole Mikasa was burning into his forehead.

 

“Mika,” Eren sighed after a moment. “Why the hell are you staring at Levi like that?”

 

“It’s nothing,” Mikasa said flatly and looked at Eren after a moment’s hesitation.

 

“ _Thank The Gods,”_ Levi thought to himself, thankful to Eren for getting her attention away from him.

 

“So,” Carla spoke after a moment. “How was training?”

 

“It was good,” Eren said around a piece of meat, manners be damned. “Jean beat me but then Levi showed me what I was doing wrong so that I could fix it! He’s an amazing fighter, Ma! You should’ve seen it! I couldn’t even get a punch in before he had me pinned to the ground!”

 

“Well, that’s not hard to do, Eren.” Mikasa teased.

 

“Mika!” Eren groaned.

 

“Now, now.” Carla laughed trying to calm her son. “Is that so? Levi, how did you get so good at fighting?”

 

“I was trained when I was young,” Levi said awkwardly. He wasn’t really sure how to reply to her question. He couldn’t ignore her question like he typically would. Despite the casualness of their meal Carla was still the Queen and he was still a slave-even if Eren didn’t treat him like one. But he wasn’t all that keen on sharing his background with everyone either. He allowed Eren to know since he’d be spending the rest of his long life serving him and Eren had been kind thus far.

 

“I see,” Carla hummed. “You also have impeccable manners and sound very educated. I assume that’s something you also learned when your were young then.”

 

“Yes, it was.” Levi nodded, impressed by her observation skills.

 

“Interesting,” She hummed but didn’t comment further.

 

“So anyway,” Eren scowled in confusion before continuing the conversation. “Levi agreed to help train me since no one else will tell me when I’m doing something wrong.”

 

Levi could feel Mikasa’s gaze settle on him again with Eren’s statement. He returned her gaze impassively hoping she would read his body language. While Eren and his mother could not notice the subtle shifts in Levi’s ears and the slightly faster flicks of his tail, Mikasa was sure to notice it.

 

Not to his surprise, Mikasa did notice his silent message to her. She responded with a deep breath through her nose, a fast blink and a loud thump of her tail.

 

“ _Later_ ” He had told her silently and she had agreed. They would talk later and Levi knew he couldn’t avoid it.

 

While the two Kyojin had their silent conversation and slightly intense staring match, Eren and his mother had finished their meal and were discussing his courses. While Eren wasn’t all that interested in them, his mother reminded him that he needed all the intelligence he could get and eventually made Levi promise to make sure he didn’t skip anymore classes.

 

Overall, dinner passed fairly quickly and without much event save for the Mikasa incident. Back in Eren’s bedroom, the two settled in to bed after a quick shower for Eren and a speedy but thorough grooming for Levi.

 

Levi waiting until Eren’s breathing evened out before he snuck out of his room. If the wrong person caught Levi, he risked serious punishment. But, he had promised to meet Mikasa this evening and trusted his nose to find her. He wandered for a moment before he caught her scent. He followed it to a familiar room-the arena.

 

“Mikasa,” He spoke, using his native tongue knowing she would understand him.

 

“Levi,” She replied in kind. “I did not expect to see you again.”

 

“Neither did I,” Levi said as he came to a halt in front of her. “It’s been a long time.”

 

“That it has,” She agreed. While her voice gave nothing away, her tail did. It flicked back and forth instead of swaying gently like Levi’s.

 

“Spit it out,” Levi finally sighed as he read her body language. It was impossible for him to ignore it; she was being uncharacteristically open.

 

“I thought you had died.” Mikasa finally admitted quietly. “When I had heard that they had finally found the feline nomadic tribe, I knew they had discovered the Underground.”

 

“How did you find out about that?” He asked curiously. If he could get an in to what was happening with other Kyojin, he may be able to track the remaining members of his tribe.

 

“Armin told me,” Mikasa told him. Levi’s ears flicked forward in surprise prompting her to continue. “He’s the assistant to the head knight so he overhears things. Anytime there’s a raid, they inform Erwin and Erwin tells Armin so he can tell us. When Armin heard they found the Underground he came straight to me.”

 

“Erwin?” Levi cocked his head. “If he’s here then so is-“

 

“Hanji? Yes.” A new voice joined them. Levi immediately recognized it as Armin’s but couldn’t help the spiking of his hair on his tail. “Sorry, didn’t mean to surprise you. Mikasa told me you were going to meet her and I wanted to talk.”

 

“It’s fine,” Levi said, calming his tail.

 

“Do they know I’m here?” Levi asked them both.

 

“Erwin does but I’m not sure if he told Hanji.” Armin admitted.

 

“I’m surprised Captain Eyebrows hasn’t come to find me yet.” Levi said.

 

“He’s baiting his time. He’ll find you soon though.” Armin snorted at Levi’s nickname for his master. “I may steal your “alternative” name for him though.”

 

“Go for it,” Levi smirked. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased to hear it. It’s been a long time since I saw him. I figured he was the one that ratted us out.”

 

“No,” Armin shook his head. “He was genuinely shocked when he got the news that they had raided your tribe. He never told anyone about what you did.”

 

“Good.” Levi nodded in approval. “He should keep it that way. I’ve been trying to lay low since I got here. I don’t want Eren to know who I am.”

 

“You don’t think he’ll find out?” Armin asked.

 

“No,” Levi shook his head, scoffing a little. “The brat is pretty oblivious. It would take a lot for him to figure it out. As long as no one says anything, I should be fine.”

 

“Don’t you think he deserves to know, Levi?” Mikasa asked him seriously.

 

“I don’t know, ‘Kasa.” Levi answered honestly. “Maybe over time but it’d be a lot to take in after just meeting me.”

 

“Someone is going to say something eventually, Levi. You aren’t exactly a nobody.” She reminded him. “Any Kyojin born outside of captivity knows who you are. Hell, even ones who were born here have heard stories. They may not recognize you but they know your name. It’s only a matter of time before someone accidentally spouts their mouth off and he finds out.”

 

“Then we’ll tell everyone to keep quiet.” Levi said being uncharacteristically stubborn. He knew she was right though. He couldn’t keep this secret from Eren for long, people talk and Eren was bound to hear something eventually. Especially since he was friends with a lot of Kyojin.

 

“That will only work for a while,” Armin stated the obvious. “You need to at least hint at it so he’s not as surprised. Hell, even Carla is kind of suspicious.”

 

Levi shot a look at Mikasa in hopes that she could counter Armin’s statement.

 

“It’s true,” She said to his disappointment. “You heard her at dinner, Levi. She has an idea of your status at the very least. She and Eren are close; she may mention it to him. Then what?”

 

“Then I tell him,” Levi surrendered. “Look, I’m not a complete asshole. I’ll tell him eventually just not right now, okay?”

 

“Fine,” Mikasa relented. “But-“

 

It was then that the lights turned on. Levi hadn’t noticed they were off; his eyes were well adjusted with his night vision. The sudden change in brightness made him hiss in surprise. He wasn’t alone in his surprise though. Mikasa also hissed and Armin rubbed his eyes while holding a hand up to block the light so he could let his eyes adjust.

 

“Levi, Mikasa, Armin, what are you doing here?”

 

It was Eren. He had found them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND VOILA! Soooo how'd I do? That cliff hanger though XD 
> 
> Anyone wanna take a stab at Mikasa's Kyojin? I don't think I gave a ton of description on her but I think we can safely assume her breed. 
> 
> LAST hint on Levi's Kyojin: It is the heaviest of its subfamily (not class because that's a whole other thing scientifically speaking). On average they can weigh anywhere between 13-42lbs (6-19kgs). They are also the fastest of their subfamily, clocking in speeds of 50 mph. Cheetahs clock in speeds of 68-75mph (109.4-120.7 km/h).


	7. Questions Answered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren discovers Mikasa, Armin, and Levi. Questions are asked and answered. Levi's breed revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STAHP! Have you read chapter 6 yet? Go double check if you're not sure. Then double check your double check. 
> 
> And here's the chapter I think a lot of people have been looking forward to! I finally get to reveal Levi's breed. Mikasa's is also revealed but I figured most people could probably deduce what hers was pretty easily since most of you that have been guessing have tried it for Levi. Only one person guessed correctly so congratulations are in order for TheMadCatQueen69. Mad props to you my friend.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 7

 

“Shit,” Levi hissed lowly.

 

“Hi, Eren.” Armin said meekly.

 

“What are you guys doing here at this time at night? Do you guys know what could happen if someone else found out you guys were here _alone_?!” Eren shouted at the trio as he approached them.

 

“Eren, lower your voice. You’re going to wake everyone up.” Mikasa told him.

 

“What are you guys doing?” Eren hissed through gritted teeth.

 

Levi looked between Armin and Mikasa trying to figure out a believable answer to give him that wouldn’t give anything away.

 

“Guys!” Eren hissed.

 

“We were just talking,” Armin finally said.

 

“What could you guys possibly be talking about?” Dammit, when Eren had his moments of perceptiveness he was not easy to fool.

 

“We were catching up,” Mikasa finally relented. Both Armin and Levi shot her silent looks of surprise and disbelief but she ignored them. Whatever happened to ‘not telling Eren’?

 

“’Catching up’?” Eren asked. “What catching up could you guys possibly have?”

 

“Well…” Armin trailed off, clearly not able to think of a good answer.

 

“Mikasa?” Eren turned to the female Kyojin who avoided his gaze like it would kill her.

 

“Mikasa is my cousin,” Levi finally relented. It was his turn to receive shocked looks. “We haven’t been in contact since her capture and we wanted to catch up.”

 

“You guys are cousins?” Eren nearly screeched causing the Kyojin to cover their ears. “Sorry.” He apologized before continuing in a lower voice, “Why didn’t you guys tell me when you saw each other the other night?”

 

“I’ve kinda been avoiding her,” Levi admitted. He knew both Armin and Mikasa were aware that he was avoiding her, which made Eren the only one who was surprised by the statement. Dammit.

 

“Why? She’s your cousin, Levi.” Eren’s eyes were now sad. Double dammit.

 

“Well, her capture was _sorta kinda_ my fault.” Levi confessed.

 

“Levi-“ Mikasa said but Levi held a hand up to silence her.

 

“How was it your fault?” Eren pressed.

 

“We come from different but related tribes.” Ldvi explained. “Our tribes were once one single tribe but that was a very long time ago. As the story goes, two brothers had a disagreement about the way the tribe was being led. This led to them forming their own tribes. One brother-my ancestor so to speak- formed his own tribe while the other-Mikasa’s ancestor- continued to rule the original. Over time, our appearances changed but our tribes remained in contact. At the beginning of every summer we meet by the river to catch up with each other and hold festivals. Once your kind started enslaving us, we had to be more discrete.

 

“On the day Mikasa was captured, my tribe was supposed to meet up with hers. But we had a sick elder and I made the executive decision to stop more frequently and be late. My tribe is by far the more superior fighters and had we been on time, we would’ve been there to defend her tribe. Instead we arrived after the raid to find half the tribe dead, and the other half missing. If I hadn’t stopped, we could’ve saved them.”

 

“We never blamed you, Levi.” Mikasa said sadly, he tail hanging low and her ears drooping. “You couldn’t have known and you were doing what was right by your tribe. None of us could ever hold that against you.”

 

“Still,” Levi frowned but his face remained impassive.

 

“So that’s how she was captured.” Eren finally said making Levi look at him. “She never told me the full story. Just that they were ambushed at a summer festival. She never told me anything more than that.”

 

“It wasn’t important.” Mikasa defended her actions. “It happened a long time ago and I don’t blame Levi so the rest never mattered.”

 

“Is this why you were so upset when Erwin found out about the raid on the Leopard tribe?” Eren asked Mikasa.

 

A low hiss caused Eren to look at Levi in surprise. Levi’s ears were pulled back flat against his head and his tail was flicking rapidly from side to side. His lips were drawn back showing his impressive and sharp teeth and his eyes were narrowed.

 

“What?” Eren asked, surprised by Levi’s reaction.

 

“Who told you that Levi was a Leopard, Eren?” Armin asked quietly.

 

“Jean,” Eren told his friend. “Why?”

 

“Levi isn’t a Leopard, Eren.” Mikasa explained.

 

“Oh.” Eren said dumbly. “Sorry, Levi.”

 

“Our tribes are actually enemies with Leopards.” Levi let out another hiss at the mention of the leopard tribe but Mikasa continued, unfazed. “They stabbed Levi’s tribe in the back a long time ago and neither of them got over it. The Leopards claim Levi’s tribe scammed them and so they tricked a tribe of Lions into attacking Levi’s tribe hoping that the Lions’ strength could overpower Levi’s tribe’s agility and cleverness. They lost obviously, but neither of them let go of the incident. Of course my tribe was caught in the crosshairs of it all.”

 

“ _They fucking tried to kill us!_ ” Levi spat in his native tongue. The pupils of his blue eyes were now wide circles, making his eyes look black, and for the first time since his arrival, he looked feral.

 

“What did he say?” Eren asked Armin.

 

“He said, ‘they fucking tried to kill us’,” Armin translated.

 

“Oh.” Eren just blinked at Levi. “If he’s not a…” Eren trailed off after looking into Levi’s eyes. “You-know-what, then what is he?” Eren turned to Mikasa. “Is he a Panther like you since you’re related?”

 

“No,” She answered. “He’s what’s called a Caracal.”

  
“Caracal?” Eren asked, having never heard the word before.

 

“Yes,” Armin spoke. “Caracals are the rarest and most aloof of the feline Kyojin. They used to be friendly with humans but after the enslavement began, they hid. Their nomadic tendencies and knowledge of the land made them near impossible to find. They’re the most deadly and most feared Kyojin. There’s only one tribe of Caracals though. Only recently did their construction of an underground city finish. Somehow the army was able to find the Underground and corner the Caracals. But not without paying a price though. Most of the knights were killed and they only captured two Caracals. One being Levi and the other killed himself after it was evident he couldn’t escape.”

 

As Armin explained Levi’s breed to Eren, Levi began to calm down. His breathing was not longer labored, his eyes slowly returned to normal and he stopped hissing.

 

“I made sure that everyone was able to escape,” Levi finally spoke mainly answering Mikasa’s silent question for him.

 

“Because you are their best warrior?” Eren asked him.

 

“Something like that,” Was all Levi said.

 

When it was obvious that the conversation was going nowhere, they decided it was best to call it a night. The group separated, each of them going their separate ways and returning to their rooms for the night.

 

Levi and Eren walked silently back to Eren’s room. Levi could tell that Eren had a million questions but Levi didn’t have the energy to answer them. He needed sleep.

 

The moment the door to Eren’s room shut behind them, Eren began bombarding Levi with questions.

 

“Did you know Mikasa was here?”

 

“Why does Armin know so much about you?”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Eren asked.

 

“Look, brat, I’m tired.” Levi sighed and crawled into his bed. “I’ll answer all your questions tomorrow.”

 

“Fine,” Eren relented. “Goodnight, Levi.”

 

“Night.” Levi hummed letting his heavy eyes close.

 

He was almost asleep when he heard Eren mutter to himself,

 

“I’m not a brat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM! 
> 
> So, what do you guys think? Have any of you ever heard of a caracal before? I told you all that they aren't commonly known. 
> 
> Anyway most of you were guess big cats and the caracal is not part of the big cat family so to speak (I mean technically it is, but it's not at the same time). I may post a small chapter on caracals on the side for anyone who wants to read it. It's not necessary but it does list why I chose this specific cat and some fun facts about them that I didn't already post in my hints. Let me know if you guys want me to post it or not. 
> 
> Well, hope this satisfies everyone's curiosity! There's more juicy stuff to come in later chapters ;) Levi doesn't kiss and tell.


	8. Surprise!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren wakes up. Levi is full of surprises. Eren continues to be an awkward turtle. Eren introduces Levi to the library of secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I apologize for not updating in the past few days! Work took a lot out of me and I was exhausted not to mention getting ready for classes to start up on the third. I REALLY don't want to take US History AGAIN for the millionth time in my educational career. Anyone from the US can tell you how hard they push it here. I can't tell you shit about the Korean/Vietnam wars but hot damn can I tell you the names of generals that fought in the Civil War and recite the first half of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. ' Four score and seven years ago'...shoot me.
> 
> So now that you read that wholly unnecessary paragraph about how much I hate US History, please enjoy this chapter! It's one of a few chapters that are hit-or-miss for me and I think you guys will see why. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Chapter 8

 

The next morning was a weekend, which meant there was no class or training that morning, and Eren was going to take full advantage of his day off. His plans consisted of sleeping until he was too hungry and then lounging around the castle until dinner.

 

Eren woke up at around ten in the morning when he could no longer force himself to fall back asleep. At first he was a little disoriented but after a moment of stretching and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, the memories of the previous night came surging to the forefront of his mind.

 

Eren had woken up at maybe two in the morning to pee. Nothing unusual. But when he came out of the bathroom he noticed that Levi’s bed was empty. He had called out for Levi but received no response. After scouring his room and finding no trace of the Kyojin, the panic set in.

 

At first Eren wondered if Levi had tried to escape but the more Eren tried to entertain the idea the more he realized that Levi was not that stupid. Levi would know by now that the castle was heavily guarded and there was no way he would be able to leave the castle grounds undetected, which meant that Levi had either been kidnapped or he had wandered off and was somewhere in the castle.

 

The first idea seemed foolish to Eren. If Levi couldn’t leave the castle by his own vocation then he surely wasn’t going to get kidnapped either. Besides, Levi was too good of a fighter to be kidnapped, let alone go quietly. So by process of elimination Levi was wandering around somewhere in the castle, which was dangerous in its own right.

 

If Levi was caught wandering around the castle alone at night by the wrong person he could be punished and punishment for Kyojin was not something to be taken lightly. Punishments varied in degree based off of what the Kyojin had done. He could get a slap on the hand or a brutal whipping. Neither was something that Eren wanted for Levi and he had to find him quick.

 

Eren looked in every room he could possibly think of but could not find the Kyojin. After exhausting all possible places he could think to find Levi, he realized that there was one place he hadn’t checked-the arena.

 

As Eren quietly opened the doors to the arena he heard voices he recognized. It was Armin, Levi and Mikasa. Eren couldn’t understand what they were saying and after a moment of listening he assumed they were speaking in their native tongue. Finally unable to keep quiet any longer, he flipped the light switch next to the door and confronted the three.

 

He wasn’t expecting them to actually tell him what they were talking about. He could tell that Armin and Mikasa were trying to come up with a lie to tell him but to his surprise, Levi had come clean. He certainly was not expecting for the bomb Levi dropped when he announced that he and Mikasa were related. Now that he really thought about it, they did have the same dark features and sharp bone structure to them and they both were crazy good fighters.

 

“Good morning,” Levi’s deep voice broke him of his thoughts.

 

“Good morning, Levi.” Eren yawned.

 

Levi was sitting at Eren’s desk across the room. It was obvious that he had been up for quite a while now since the feline was already dressed and was grooming his ears. Eren watched him quietly, observing the way that Levi cleaned his ears with his hands as a domesticated cat would.

 

“What?” Levi asked him when he noticed Eren’s staring.

 

“Nothing.” Eren tried to lie. One arched brow from Levi told him that he wasn’t doing a very good job.

 

“Your ears turn red when you lie,” Levi told him in a bored tone.

 

“I know,” Eren groaned.

 

“So what was it that made you want to lie?”

 

“I just-“ Eren stopped to think about how he could phrase his thoughts without sounding stupid but all that came out was, “Just thought you were cute grooming yourself.”

 

Levi just blinked at the man in surprise for a moment before averting his eyes. Eren swore he could see a faint blush on Levi’s cheeks but chose not to point it out in fear of embarrassing himself further.

 

“Sorry!” Eren tried to do damage control. “I didn’t mean that in a creepy way! You just reminded me of a cat.”

 

“Well, I _am_ a breed of cat,” Levi pointed out.

 

“So does that mean that you groom yourself often then?” Eren asked curiously.

 

“I suppose?” Levi hadn’t ever really thought about how often he groomed himself he just did it.

 

“So about last night…”Eren trailed off. He wasn’t sure how to start the conversation but Levi did promise to explain things to him once he woke up.

 

“I will answer your questions after you shower and eat.” Levi answered his unspoken question while gesturing to the tray of food set on the desk behind him. “I brought you food since you were asleep.”

 

“Thanks,” Eren said as he got out of bed. Levi walked over to him and handed him his clothes and shooed Eren into the bathroom to get showered.

 

Eren took a longer than normal shower, trying to think of things to ask Levi. He didn't want to prod too deeply in fear of bringing up bad memories, but he also wanted to know about Levi. Levi had given him some information last night but that only made him more curious among other things.

 

After getting dressed and brushing his teeth, Eren joined Levi back in his room. Levi had already made his bed and set the food down on a coffee table that was placed in front of the loveseat Eren had placed in front of his largest window, overlooking the front gates. Eren sat on the couch, ready to ask Levi a question but Levi beat him to it.

 

“I’m sure you’re curious about me and my past.” Levi said as he perched- again, like a cat- in the desk chair that he had pulled up to face Eren across the coffee table.

 

“Yes,” Eren nodded around the toast he was munching on. “I realized last night how very little I actually know about you.”

 

“What do you want to know?” Levi asked him, his tail laying flat against his legs.

 

“Tell me about your breed of Kyojin. I’ve never heard of a Caracal before.” Eren decided to start small and see how much Levi revealed on his own.

 

“Caracals are the rarest of the Kyojin species.” Levi began. “We only have one or two kittens at a time-three at most. Most feline breeds have up to six. We aren’t sure why this is but it makes replenishing our numbers difficult.

 

“We’re adept hunters because we are so quiet and we hunt at all times of the day. We’re adroit climbers and are able to blend in with the trees, making us hard to find. We are solitary for the most part so we don’t really spend much time mingling with other tribes like some other feline and non-feline tribes do. Humans have a hard time capturing us because we’re so quiet. Caracals don’t really need to have much verbal conversation, we usually only have verbal conversations for our own amusement or if we’re communicating with non-Caracals.” Levi told him.

 

“So how do you communicate then?” Eren asked.

 

“Body language.” Levi shrugged.

 

“Body language?” Eren scrunched his eyebrows together.

 

“Yes. We use our tails, eyes and ears to communicate.” As Levi explained he moved each body part in demonstration.

 

“Is that why Mikasa knew to meet up with you last night?” Eren was starting piecing things together.

 

“Yes,” Levi nodded. “We had a conversation at dinner. I told her we would talk later and then after you fell asleep I followed her scent to the sparring arena.”

 

“So, you’re good at smelling too?” Eren asked him. “Isn’t that a dog thing?”

 

“No, I can scent too,” Levi’s nose scrunched up as if Eren had insulted him. “I’m not as good as a Canine Kyojin like Armin, but I can detect different scents and changes in scents.”

 

“Changes in scents?” Eren asked.

 

“Well, I can tell if someone has gone into heat, if the breeding took, if we’ve crossed paths with another tribe or entered another tribe’s territory.”

 

“Breeding as in like reproduction?”

 

“Well, is there another definition in the human language for copulation?” Levi asked him.

 

“No, I guess that's the right word. I just didn’t think about the fact that you would need to know about someone else’s heats and stuff.” Eren blushed at the thought of Levi caring about breeding and heats.

 

“Well of course I did,” Levi’s face and voice remained impassive. He clearly was not as fazed as Eren was by the direction their conversation was taking. “I am a mature Caracal, breeding and heats were something I dealt with frequently.”

 

“Well, _you_ didn’t deal with heats,” Eren avoided looking at Levi.

 

“Yes I did,” Levi was thoroughly confused. Why did Eren not understand heats and breeding? Did they not teach him about human mating?

 

“Well-I mean-You didn’t experience heats because you’re….male.” Eren sputtered.

 

“Some male Caracals do experience heats,” Levi told him.

 

“I thought heats were only for females who were ready for…babies.” Eren was sure he was as red as a tomato by this point.

 

“We’ve had to adapt.” Levi explained with an almost undetectable smirk at Eren’s embarrassment. “When our numbers began to decline and our females were dying faster than we could reproduce, the Goddess gave us a male Caracal that was able to bear children. Now, males that are descended from the original male are able to bear kittens.”

 

“Wow, that’s insane.” Eren had never heard of such a thing happening before. He had heard other Kyojin discuss “gifts” that their Goddess had given them but they never mentioned anything like that. “Is that specific to your tribe or were there others?”

 

“It happened to other tribes as well. Several Panther and Tiger tribes had male bearers and a few of the Cougar tribes also had male bearers. I never heard of any leopard or lion tribes having them though. Probably because there are so many of them left still.” Levi shrugged. “I heard a few of the canine tribes also experienced it but it seemed to be mostly focused on feline tribes and tribes that were losing a lot of their members.”

 

“Oh,” Eren said dumbly. “So, you can bear children then?”

 

“Yes,” Levi admitted. “I can only bear one kitten though. That was the stipulation. It seems that it is harder for me to conceive and I had less frequent heats than females. In the past few generations, only one kitten was born per male bearer.”

 

“Can you also create kittens through…other means?” Eren nearly didn’t ask the question but for some reason he really wanted to know the answer.

 

“Yes,” Levi eyed him as if the question was the stupidest one he had ever heard. “I can father kittens.”  


“Can you father them with other male bearers?”

 

“Yes, but it would be very difficult and a bit of a waste when I could just breed with a female or bear my own child.” Levi told him.

 

“Have you fathered kittens before?” Eren hesitated to ask but he was so curious that he forced himself to ask the question. Part of him really wanted to know but some part of him deep down was afraid to know. Eren decided it was because he didn’t want to upset Levi by asking if it turned out Levi had fathered young before and they had somehow died.

 

“Yes,” Levi said quietly looking over Eren’s shoulder and out the window behind him.

 

“Oh,” Eren breathed. He felt like his gut dropped out of his ass and he wanted to cry. He wasn’t sure why he was reacting like this and couldn’t think of another time he had felt like that.

 

“I had two kittens, actually,” Levi told him quietly. “They were fully grown when I was captured but they acted like the were still weaning. They were so dependent on me and so oblivious to the dangers around them. I guess it was my fault though; I shouldn’t have sheltered them so much. I just wanted to preserve their innocence.”

  
“What happened to their mother?” Eren whispered partially hoping that Levi wouldn’t hear him. But with Levi’s advanced hearing, he caught the words just fine.

 

“Dead,” Levi said without emotion. “She died when our kittens were small in an attack by a lone leopard.”

 

“What happened to the leopard?” Eren asked but he had a feeling he knew the answer.

 

“I killed it.” Yes, that was what Eren figured had happened.

 

“So you raised them on your own?” Eren pressed hoping that Levi wouldn’t shut down on him. He was learning so much about the feline.

 

“Yes,” Levi nodded seeming to be lost in his memories of his kittens. His face had softened a little and his eyes were warmer than Eren had ever seen them. “Rambunctious little ones they were. The youngest was like a fucking vacuum- she always wanted to eat and would just about suck me dry when I fed her. I was so happy when she was fully weaned. My son was a little easier to care for; he just liked to wander a little further than I wanted him to.”

 

“What do you mean by ‘suck you dry’?” Eren interrupted the feline’s story.

 

“Male bearers can lactate if they need to. So, when my kittens were left without their mother to feed them milk, my body naturally responded.” Levi finally locked eyes with Eren.

 

“You don’t have breasts though?” Eren’s gaze briefly flickered to Levi’s flat chest as if he wasn’t totally sure.

 

“I’m not a female!” Levi narrowed his eyes momentarily.

 

“That’s not what I meant!” Eren raised both his hands up in defense when he realized he had offended Levi. “I just thought you might end up being stuck with breasts if that happened.”

 

“My chest was a little swollen until they grew up,” Levi shrugged once he realized Eren wasn’t trying to insinuate anything. “Once they were weaned my chest returned to its natural shape.”

 

“I see,” Eren hummed. It was weird to think that Levi had not only fathered and raised two children of his own but that he was also able to bear his own children. Before he could stop himself from saying anything stupid he blurted out, “Could you theoretically bear children from a different species?”

 

“I suppose so?” Levi seemed taken back by the random question.

 

“I meant in theory! Not that it really matters!” Eren’s eyes were wide with surprise at his own question and embarrassment that he had asked it.

 

“Well, if I bred with another species and it took then I would in theory bear their young, yes.” Levi said after thinking about the question for a brief moment. “But that’s never happened before. Well, that I know of at least.”

 

“If you don’t need to cross breed then why would you?” Eren laughed awkwardly.

 

“Exactly,” Levi nodded.

 

“Um, I have to go meet Armin!” Eren sprung up after a moment of quiet between the two.

 

“Alright, I shall come with you then,” Levi stood as well, ready to escort his master to wherever Armin may be.

 

“That’s okay!” Eren waved his hands in front of him. “You can hang out if you’d like! Enjoy our day off!”

 

“What would I do?” Levi asked him and Eren could hear the rhetorical question that was hidden by Levi’s impassiveness.

 

“There’s a huge library if you like to read,” Eren suggested not really knowing if Levi had learned to read. “I can take you there if you’d like.”

 

“Very well,” Levi nodded his head and followed Eren out of his room.

 

 

After a short walk they arrived at one of the castle’s several libraries. This particular library was a favorite among the Kyojin that had learned to read because it was full of books that were written in the Kyojin language hidden within its bookshelves. Eren had learned about the books from Armin and was surprised that someone didn’t notice by now. But he figured that the library was so out of the way for most of the royal families that they could easily hide their stories among the human ones.

 

“Here we are!” Eren announced, turning to face Levi. “This is our library that is favored by our literate Kyojin!”

 

“Why?” Levi muttered the question; too busy looking around the massive library before him. How was it possible to find enough books to fill the floor to celling bookshelves?

 

“Because, there are hidden books in this library,” Eren whispered as if someone was going to overhear them in the empty library.

 

“’Hidden books’?” Levi turned his questioning gaze on Eren.

 

“Uh, yeah.” Eren chuckled flustered by just a simple gaze from Levi. He needed to see Armin ASAP. “I guess there are some books written in Kyojin hidden in here. If you can find them then you’re more than welcome to have them.”

 

“Oh,” Levi blinked almost owlishly at Eren. He would’ve never thought that this library would have books that he could read in his own language.

 

“So, I’ll leave you to it then,” Eren said awkwardly. “I’ll be back soon.”

 

“Okay,” Levi shrugged and began to examine the books on the closest bookshelf.

 

Once Levi heard the heavy wooden doors of the library close he breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“What was all that about?” He wondered quietly to himself before setting off to find himself some books.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BET YA DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING DID YOU?! 
> 
> I strongly debated whether or not I wanted to include the whole Levi being able to produce da babes but I decided that if I didn't keep it in there then I'd have to basically re-write the whole last half of the story and that's not about to happen. 
> 
> Hope none of you hate me for that! If you aren't big on mpreg, don't worry-there aren't any descriptive scenes involving him becoming pregnant or anything like that in this fic. I may/may not include some side story but that's not something I've even written yet. We shall see. Let me know how you guys feel about it. Also, I'm going to upload a side thing where I explain each Kyojin and why I chose that specific animal for the character since several of you have asked about it :) 
> 
> Let me know how you liked this chapter! Hopefully it wasn't awful D:


	9. Things Not Considered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin and Eren have another heart-to-heart. Eren gets awkward. Armin figures stuff out. Eren is embarrassed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Sorry it took me so long to update! The start of school made my schedule wonky. For anyone that hasn't already noticed or read, I have added a side story. It's more me justifing the Kyojin "breeds" I chose so go check that out if you have time. Not much to say about this chapter really except that it's one of my shorter ones. I was going to combine it with the next one but decided not to. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Chapter 9

 

“You asked him if he could cross breed?!” Armin asked-shouted-in disbelief.

 

“Yes,” Eren hid his head in Armin’s pillow.

 

Eren had found Armin in his room-slash-study. As usual, the Kyojin was helping his master do paperwork on a Saturday because neither of them could learn to take a damn day off. While Armin’s room was spacious especially for a slave but it was nowhere near the size of Eren’s, who was currently trying to become one with Armin’s bed.

 

“Why the hell would you say that, Eren?” Armin shook his head at his friend. He knew Eren didn’t mean the question to be rude or perverted but that didn’t make him any less of an idiot. “Especially after he told you about his children!”

 

“I don’t know, Armin! It just came out!” The pillow he was trying to suffocate himself with muffled Eren’s cry of embarrassment.

 

“Why are you trying to commit suicide with my pillow?” Armin asked his friend.

 

“’Cause I want to die,” Eren muttered.

 

“Why?” Armin laughed.

 

“Because, I’m so embarrassed!” Eren finally lifted his head to stare at his friend. “Levi finally opened up to me and all I wanted to know is if he had ever fucked anyone outside of his own species before!”

 

“Why did- _do_ \- you care?” Armin’s nose pinched in confusion.

 

“I don’t know!” Eren threw his hands in the air in frustration. “He started talking about breeding and whatnot and I just couldn’t let it go. Next thing I know, he’s admitting that he could produce his own child and he has two of his own with some random, dead woman.”

 

“Well, he had a life outside of all this, Eren,” Armin gestured around them when he said ‘this’ to make his point.

 

“I know he did,” Eren sighed. “I don't know why I cared so much when he was talking about his kids.”

 

“You almost sound jealous, Eren.” Armin eyed his friends.

 

“Why would I be jealous, Armin? He’s not my lover.” Eren scowled at his friend.

 

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

 

“I’m not jealous,” Eren insisted to no one in particular. “I just…I don't know.”

 

“Eren, do you like Levi?” Armin asked

 

“He’s nice and he’s a good trainer,” Eren told his friend. “He’s a good friend, so I guess I like him. Why?”

 

“No, I mean do you _like_ Levi.” Armin clarified. . It seemed like a stretch to Armin seeing as he and Levi had just met each other but then again, this was Eren he was talking about and no one used the term “normal” to describe Eren Jaeger. So it could go either way since Eren was involved.

 

“You mean like have feelings for him?” Eren’s eyebrows shot up at his friend’s implication. “NO!”

 

“Are you sure?” Armin asked his friend. “You sound like you are jealous of Levi’s old mate.”

 

“I’m not, I swear!” Eren insisted. “I just wanted to know him better, that’s all.”

 

“I think you have deeper feelings for Levi than you think.” Armin told him. “You said that you thought that he was cute when he was grooming himself, you were upset when you found out that he had taken a mate previously, and you were wanting to know if he could bear the children of someone who was of a different species.”

 

There was a brief moment of silence while Armin’s words hung in the air. Eren neither confirmed nor deny Armin’s suggestion.

 

“THAT’S WHY YOU ASKED ABOUT CROSSBREEDING!” Armin shouted, standing up and pointed at Eren when he had put everything together. Eren just looked away and blushed brightly at his friend’s accusation.

 

“NO!” He half-heartedly shouted back. It wasn’t much of a denial coming from Eren. If Eren really denied something, he was very vocal about it. Sometimes he even acted scandalized.

 

“You like him and you wanted to know if he could have _your_ children!” Armin grinned widely at his thoroughly humiliated friend.

 

“Did not!” Eren protested weakly. Maybe Armin was right maybe he did have feelings for Levi that went beyond those of a platonic friendship.

 

“Do you think he may also have feelings?” Armin cocked his head to the side. Sometimes he really did look like a puppy, with his ears perked up and his big blue eyes staring holes into you.

 

“Armin, I’d be surprised if he had feelings towards me that weren’t hatred or indifference.” Eren frowned. “I’m the person who is directly linked to the person that enslaved you all. Do you think he’s going to fall in love with someone whose family is directly involved in ruining your life and the life of those before and after you?”

 

“Eren, you weren’t the one who did that and it’s obvious to everyone how much you disapprove of the enslavement of Kyojin.” Armin said sadly. “Levi is extremely intelligent so I’m sure he’s very aware of this. I think he may like you more than you realize.”

 

“I highly doubt it,” Eren shrugged. “He’s only opened up to me twice now and that’s because I caught him talking to you and Mikasa. He had no choice but to tell me things.”

 

“Levi wouldn’t tell you something he didn’t want you to know, Eren.” Armin informed him. “Feline Kyojin- especially Caracals- are very good at being mysterious and keeping things to themselves. That’s why they’re the hardest to find and have the most bounty attached to them.”

 

“I guess,” Eren relented. Maybe Armin was right. “I have a question for you though.”

 

“Okay?” Armin prompted.

 

“Did your tribe have any of the male bearers that Levi told me about? He said some Canine tribes had them.”

 

“No, not my tribe.” Armin said. “Retrievers do not have the same population problem that Caracals do. We have up to twelve puppies a litter and most of them make it past puppyhood. Caracals and Feline Kyojin in general have smaller litters and higher mortality rate. Although, I did know a tribe with a male bearer.”

 

“Really? Which one? What was he like?” Eren asked his friend excitedly.

 

“Calm down,” Armin laughed at his friend. “It was a Wolf tribe. He was nice; I can’t remember his name though. He had two puppies with another wolf in the tribe and fathered another litter with a female. Both puppies made it to adulthood and one was male so I’m assuming that puppy was also a bearer since it’s hereditary.”

 

“Is it common for male bearers to have their own children?” Eren asked.

 

“Sure,” Armin nodded not missing the way Eren seemed to soak in his words when it related to Levi. “They want to pass the gene down. But no one knows if it can be passed down through mating with a female or if it’s only passed down when they mate with a male.”

 

“So, is it common for them to seek out a male partner then?”

 

“Yes, they want to pass the gene down.”

 

“Are gay relationships common in Kyojin tribes?” Eren blushed but knew he could ask Armin the question.

 

“Do you mean in general or only among male bearers?” Armin clarified.

 

“In general,” Eren shrugged trying to appear nonchalant.

 

“Sure, it’s fairly common.” Armin answered. “They may mate with a female just to contribute to the population but it’s not uncommon to see two men in a monogamous relationship. We do not hold the distaste for homosexual relationships that humans seem to. As long as they contribute once or twice, we could really care less with whom they’re mated.”

 

“So, it’s possible that Levi could be gay?” Eren practically whispered, his blush becoming bright red.

 

“Yes, he could be.” Armin struggled not to laugh. “But you can’t assume that just because he is able to carry children automatically means he’s gay, Eren.”

 

“I know,” Eren groaned. He wasn’t stupid.

 

“Are _you_ gay, Eren?” Armin asked the big question not for himself but more for Eren’s sake. He knew that if he didn’t ask his friend that Eren might never consider the possibility that he may be gay or at least bisexual.

 

The question hit Eren like a ton of bricks. He hadn’t ever considered the idea that he could be gay. He never really took much interest in women but he didn’t ever have much interest in anyone really. All he was surrounded with were posh, stuck up royals who thought the world owed them everything and they owed the world nothing. He couldn’t really stand any of them let alone fantasize about being with one of them. But the more he thought about it the more he realized that he could only get off when he thought about another man. Maybe he was gay after all.

 

“I think I am,” Eren admitted. “I mean, I’ve never dated anyone but I do want to be with Levi and I’ve only ever jacked off to men.”

 

“Okay, I _really_ didn't need to know that last part, Eren.” Armin groaned.

 

“You asked.” Eren shrugged and grinned at his friend.

 

“Not for that,” Armin glared playfully at his friend.

 

“So, what do I do?”

 

“You should talk to Levi,” Armin told him. “Levi is a Feline Kyojin, Eren. He’s not going to announce his feelings to you. It’s not in their nature. It would take a lot of time for him to feel like he could do that. But, he’s also brutally honest so I’m sure if you asked him straight forward if he’s gay he’d probably tell you.”

 

“You think so?” Eren asked. “Won’t that make things weird?”

 

“Only if you make it weird.” Armin said. Knowing Eren, it would get weird. “Now, go! I have work to do and it’s already eight!”

 

“Fine, I’ll see you later then?” Eren laughed as he was shooed out the door.

 

“Yes,” Armin said as he shoved his friend into the hall. “And talk to Levi!”

 

Eren had no idea how he was going to do that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awkward Eren is awkward.


	10. It's Awkward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren is awkward (common theme here people). Levi enjoys it too much. Eren feels frisky. Levi kicks his ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STAHP! If you haven't read chapter 9 please do so now. I double updated today so I just want to be sure everyone has read it because this chapter will make literally no sense if you haven't. 
> 
> So, while this has plot in the beginning, it's also a slight filler chapter at the end with some humor mixed in before we get to the next arc. I also SUCK at writing action so that's been something I've been working on. Especially with later chapters. Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 10

 

“I’m gay!” Eren shouted at Levi later that night when they had both showered and were preparing to get into bed. He had his eyes screwed shut and his hands were clenched into fists at his side. As soon as the words left his mouth Armin’s warning echoed in his mind.

 

 _“Way to go, Jaeger. You made things awkward again._ ” Eren thought to himself as he waited for Levi’s reply.

 

“Congratulations?” Levi said, his voice conveying his confusion.

 

Eren peaked one eye open to see Levi sitting cross-legged on top of his bed. He was holding his tail in front of his face, clearly in the middle of grooming it and he was shooting Eren a look of confusion. But, Eren did catch a glimmer of amusement in his normally stoic eyes.

 

“I uh-“ Eren stammered. He had no idea of how to regain any sense of normalcy after shouting his newly discovered sexual preference at Levi.

 

“Did you just recently realize this?” Levi asked him as he went back to licking his tail.

 

“Uh, yeah,” Eren rubbed his neck as he crawled into his bed. “Earlier when I was with Armin, actually.”

 

“So you fucked Armin?” Levi asked bluntly.

 

“What?!” Eren shrieked causing Levi’s ears to go flat against his hear and Levi to glare at Eren for the high pitch. “Sorry. But _ew_! Armin is like my brother!”

 

“Good,” Levi nodded.

 

“Good?” Eren was officially confused.

 

“If Erwin found out you and Armin were fucking he would not be pleased.” Levi told him.

 

“How do you know that Erwin is Armin’s master?”

 

“Armin told me,” Levi shrugged. “But congratulations on your new discovery.”

 

“Thanks.” Eren laughed before blushing. “So, do you….are you into women?”

 

“I’m not sure what that means, Eren.” Levi turned his bored gaze onto Eren.

  
“Like, do you only have sex with women?” Eren asked.

 

“Well, I’ve only taken women as mates before if that’s what you mean,” Levi told him.

 

“I guess,” Eren said.

 

He couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He knew there was a possibility that Levi was straight but he secretly hoped that Levi would be at least bisexual. It would’ve been better if he was gay but Eren wasn’t in the position to be picky.

 

“What is wrong?” Levi sighed, picking up on Eren’s sour mood.   


“Nothing,” Eren lied.

 

“You’re lying again,” Levi pointed a long finger at Eren’s now red ears.

 

“I didn’t mean that you only bred with women when I asked you that question.” Eren admitted hesitantly.

 

“What did you mean then?” Levi was not making this easy for him. Eren wasn’t entirely sure that Levi wasn’t secretly messing with Eren to see how worked up he could get him.

 

“I was more asking if you preferred men or women.” Eren said quickly but Levi heard him.

 

“You want to know if I like to take it up the ass.” Levi bluntly rephrased his question.

 

“That’s not what meant!” Eren shouted. “Not entirely at least.”

 

“I prefer cock if that’s what you’re wondering.” Levi told him before pulling his covers back and crawling into his bed.

 

“You’re gay too?” Eren felt his heart lift with Levi’s albeit blunt statement.

 

“Yes, I am,” Levi told him before turning out the light. “Welcome to the gay side, Eren. We’ve got cookies and rainbows and our asses whistle.”

 

“Oh my God, Levi, what the fuck?” Eren laughed before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep. “But, thanks.”

 

 

The next morning Eren was awoken by a shove to his shoulder. He tried to ignore it as he always does but instead found himself pulled onto his floor.

 

“Hey!” He shouted in surprise glaring up at the figure in front of him. “What was that for?!”

 

“You weren’t waking up,” Levi shrugged. “We agreed that I was going to train you today, remember?”

 

“I remember, but does it have to be so early in the morning?” Eren moaned as he stood up from the ground and rubbed his now sore ass.

 

“It’s nine,” Levi informed him.

 

“So early,” Eren whined as he walked over to get the clothes that Levi had laid on his desk for him.

 

“Get showered so you can eat before we train.” Levi sighed and began to put his bed together.

 

“Isn’t it supposed to be bad for you to eat before you work out?” Eren asked.

 

“Normally.” Levi said. “But I don’t want you fainting on me. As long as you don’t eat something heavy you’re fine.”

 

“Oh.” Was all Eren said before going into the bathroom.

 

He turned the water on warm and stepped into the shower when the mirrors began to fog up. He had every intention of letting himself become a human vegetable for a few minutes while he let the water run over him but his dick had other plans. Before Eren realized what was happening, his cock was at full attention and throbbing. Eren briefly debated trying to ignore it but after a moment he realized his boner was not going to go away on its own.

 

Letting out a sigh of annoyance, he let his hand fall to his swollen cock. Letting out a quiet grunt while he let his hand gently stroke it, he picture a body below him. Eren imagined that the hand stroking his cock was not his own and groaned as his imaginary partner’s hand reached the head of his cock, dipping their finger into the slit. Before he realized it, his partner was sinking down to take the head into their mouth. He grunted and sped his hand up at the thoughts flooding his mind. He pictured weaving his hands in the dark hair below him, urging his partner on while simultaneously fucking their mouth. He came undone at the image of ice blue eyes staring up at him as they deep throated him.

 

With a cry, Eren shot his cum on the shower wall. He sagged against the tiled floor of his shower and got his breathing under control before standing up and washing away the evidence of his imagination. He was drying off when he realized that his imaginary partner was in fact Levi. He had just jacked off to the thought of Levi giving him a blowjob. _Shit._

 

If Levi had heard any of Eren’s shower escapades, he didn’t show it. Instead he forced Eren to eat some oatmeal before practically herding him into the arenas, all while complaining that Eren took unnecessarily long showers. Eren was going to defend himself but when he realized that his only defense was the fact that he was jacking off, he decided to hold his tongue.

 

Training with Levi was like nothing Eren had ever experienced before. Levi was quick to point out any flaws Eren had, and even quicker to insult him. Most people would be discouraged by Levi’s tough treatment but it only seemed to make Eren more determined to become better.

 

They trained all day, only stopping to eat a small lunch and dinner. Levi taught Eren everything from a good stance to how to fake a kick by kicking over their head and then turning around and kicking his opponent in the side with his other foot. While Eren needed to take several breaks, Levi never seemed to be tired.

 

“You’re like a superhero,” Eren huffed during one of his breaks.

 

“I don’t even know what that is, Eren.” Levi told him as he waited for Eren to catch his breath.

 

“It’s like someone who is super human. They never get tired and are invincible.” Eren explained.

 

“I’m not invincible,” Levi pointed out.

 

“No, but you can do all these cool moves and fight for hours on end and not get tired,” Eren pointed out.

 

“Yes, but it’s what I’ve been doing my whole life,” Levi told him. “I’ve long since been conditioned to fighting for hours on end. Besides I’m not even a human so my body is much different than yours.”

 

“It’s not fair!” Eren pouted up at Levi, which only made the raven roll his eyes at the display.

 

“You are not getting any sympathy from me, Brat.” Levi scoffed at him.

 

“Oh, come on, Levi!” Eren complained before pointing one finger and himself and continuing to pout. “Look how sad and pathetic I look!”

 

“It won’t work,” Levi rolled his eyes again. “Besides, you aren’t even doing that bad.”

 

“Was that a compliment?” Eren gaped up at the feline.

 

“Take it as you will,” Was all Levi said back.

 

“Oh my God you gave me a compliment! I should write this moment down so I never forget it!” Eren teased him.

 

“Alright!” Levi clapped his hands together. “Break time is over! Back to work!”

 

Eren let out a loud groan but resumed a fighting stance, determined to at least get one punch in on Levi this time.

 

He didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the common theme of this story is basically that Eren is incredibly awkward and Levi throughly enjoys it. As I feel like most of us would. 
> 
> Also, someone asked me in the last chapter if Kyojin have the same feelings about lesbian relationships as they do with gay relationships. The answer is simply, yes. I didn't explicitly say so in the chapter because there aren't any lesbian relationships written in this fic, but they do accept all types of sexual orientations. They aren't as "open" about different species of Kyojin breeding together. This is mostly due to the fact that like Native Americans, their treaties are sort of fragile and so breeding with different species is not something that would be a good idea. Now, they don't have an issue with two Canine Kyojin breeding together but they wouldn't like a Canine and a Feline breeding together. So simply put; they can breed with different tribes of the same type of Kyojin as themselves but can't with any Kyojin outside of that. Hope that makes sense! 
> 
> Also to answer another question: I capitalize "Feline", "Caracal" ,"Canine" etc. because these are specific names referring to a group of people. Typically I wouldn't capitalize these words but because they are names I do. It's kind of like how you'd capitalize Native Americans to refer to the tribes but outside of that you wouldn't capitalize the word native. Does that make sense? 
> 
> Let me know what you think about the story! I love chatting with all of you and I'm usually quick to reply (granted that it's a slow day at work or I'm not studying for a test).


	11. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren makes an observation. Armin doesn't humor him. Levi gives an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to update again last night but got too tired while editing so I ended up stopping half way. This was a pretty edited chapter to be completely honest. The bones of the chapter are there but I added a lot more dialogue in so the chapter went from 1,500 words to 2,100. I just decided to add some things here and there. I'd actually say that this has been the most heavily edited chapter thus far. It doesn't help that it's a plot heavy chapter too. There's two other chapters that I know I'm probably going to edit quite heavily but I'm not there quite yet. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. I think you guys will be able to figure out which chapters they are just because they will take me longer to get out. Mostly because one of the chapters is already (without me editing it) 18 pages long. So that should be fun. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 11

 

“Leviii~” Eren whined from his bed. “I think I’m dying!”

 

“Shut up, you are not dying.” Levi rolled his eyes at the “man” that was current complaining loudly from his bed.

 

A month had passed since the first time Levi had trained Eren and each time Levi trained him Eren learned something new. Levi just kept pulling metaphorical bunnies out of his metaphorical hat and when Eren thought he had ran out of bunnies, he pulled out a dove. Metaphorical doves of course; there are no real doves on Titan.

 

Levi had been especially tough on Eren the night before though. He and Eren had sparred for close to six hours and Eren had the bruises to prove it. The worst part of it was the knowledge that Levi wasn’t really trying. If he wanted to, Levi could really inflict some major damage. Maybe even kill him; all with his bare hands. Eren could see why Caracal Kyojin were- _are_ \- feared by the other Kyojin on Titan. Eren was pleased by the fact that he was able to get a few hits in on Levi’s ribs yesterday. It was not easy but he had done it-which was saying a lot because Levi did not let Eren win just to boost his ego.

 

Aside from training, he and Levi had also become closer. Levi was not longer hesitant to say how he felt around Eren, frequently calling him “brat” or “kid” when they were alone. He also was much more talkative. Eren learned that Levi was a neat freak by nature, he groomed himself after every meal and shower, and he had a special talent for making horrible shit jokes. Levi also divulged in passing once that in the wild, he and his other Caracals would often play and stalk each other before they would eat. He obviously couldn’t do that in the palace but the mental image of Levi stalking and tackling some other unsuspecting Kyojin made Eren almost losing his composure at one of his weekly meetings with his father and the other heads of departments. Eren probably wouldn’t stop him if he wanted to stalk a noble or two.

 

Eren was very pleased that he and Levi had grown closer. But he never told Levi about his crush. In fact, he went out of his way to hide it. He avoided all topics about his or Levi’s past sex life and Levi’s ability to bear children.

 

Levi was not as shy about those topics as Eren was. He would occasionally make jokes about Eren looking like he was about to “go into heat” or say something like “don’t go into heat now, Eren.” Eren never had much of a retort or witty comeback for him. So he just resorted to standing there and sputtering with wide eyes until Levi laughed at him. It was embarrassing at best.

 

Meanwhile, Mikasa had learned about Eren’s crush and was pestering him daily about it. She had tried several times to get him to talk to Levi but Eren insisted on avoiding the topic all together. He had no idea why Armin and Mikasa were so damn insistent about him talking to Levi about something as stupid as a crush.

 

“I don’t think I can walk,” Eren pouted from his bed. “You ruined me. I’m destroyed. R.I.P.”

 

“You are fine, Brat. Get up before someone comes looking for you,” Levi rolled his eyes at Eren’s dramatic display of his death.

 

“I may die though!” Eren persisted.

 

“Get up, you’re going to be late for class and I will not be held responsible when Armin comes looking for you. _Again_.” Levi crossed his arms and glared at Eren. In the past month alone, Armin had come to see after Eren. Armin didn’t bother to ask Levi why he hadn’t woken Eren up earlier, or why Eren wasn’t out of bed, he just went straight to making Eren’s life miserable until Eren finally surrendered and woke up.

 

“I’ll tell him you beat me up,” Eren said. “He knows how strong you are. He’ll believe me.”

 

“Oh please, Armin is smarter than you apparently give him credit for,” Levi rolled his eyes at the threat Eren was trying to make. When it was apparent that Eren was in fact not going to move Levi let out a long, loud sigh before saying, “You leave me no choice then.”

 

“What does that me-AH!” Eren let out a-manly-cry of surprise when Levi reached down and picked Eren up bridal style and proceeded to carry him across the room towards the bathroom. “Levi, put me down!”

 

“You wouldn’t get up so I had no choice,” Levi said. A month ago, Eren would’ve thought Levi was being serious but after getting to know Levi better he could recognize the amusement in his voice and the small glint in his icy blue eyes as he deposited Eren on the bathroom floor. “Now, get showered.”

 

“I don’t have clothes!” Eren pointed out as he stood up. A moment later his shirt, pants, and underwear smacked him dead in the face. “Thank you!”

 

“Shower! Now!” Was Levi’s only response before he slammed the bathroom door shut. “Don’t make me come in there to retrieve your naked ass!”

 

“You’d like to see my naked ass!” Eren shouted back, not fully thinking about the words he just said, as he stripped his pajamas off.

 

“Too flat for my tastes,” Levi shouted. “You have five minutes. Shower! NOW!”

Eren laughed but obeyed. As much as he hated to admit, Levi was right. He hated going to class but if he missed another class his parents would rip him a new asshole. His dad would probably try to blame Levi and Eren didn’t want that either.

 

Eren briefly entertained the idea of masturbating to his new favorite fantasy of Levi bent over his bed while he plowed his ass, but decided against it. He didn’t want to risk Levi interrupting him if he took too long- which he probably would if he decided that he was going to enforce his five minute timeline. So he settled for taking a cold shower and attempting to tame his wild hair.

 

“Fucking finally,” Levi sighed when Eren finally emerged from his bathroom-probably more than five minutes later. “Did you take a long enough dump in there?”

 

“Gotta stay regular!” Eren shot Levi a smile and two thumbs up just because he could. Levi huffed a small laugh before dragging him to the door.

 

“Let’s get going then,” Levi said before shoving him out the door and closing it behind them.

 

Classes were boring as ever. Eren barely paid attention anymore, much more interested in the Kyojin behind him. Besides, Levi paid enough attention for the two of them anyway so he could just help him with his homework. Instead, Eren thought about all he had learned about Levi; his two kids, his relation to Mikasa, how he was the most feared hunter. But Eren couldn’t help but wonder if something was missing from the stories Levi told him.

 

He had noticed over the past few weeks that when Levi was present the other Kyojin acted differently. The usually funny and loud Connie and Sasha became quiet and attentive, Ymir didn’t try to back sass him, Bert straight up avoided him like the plague (which Eren didn’t know what that was but Levi told him that it was a major human event and he needed to pay attention in class more). But if it was just Eren around then the Kyojin acted as they always had. He wondered if it had anything to do with how Levi held himself or the way he observed everything that was happening around him. Regardless, it just didn’t sit well with him.

 

Which is how he found himself back in Armin’s room laying on his bed.

 

“I don’t understand, Armin! Whenever he’s around everyone is just…different.” Eren ranted while he laid his back waving his hands around in the air as he talked.

 

“Well, Levi does have a certain aura to him,” Armin offered.

 

“No, it’s more than that!” Eren sat up and looked at his friend. “There’s something that everyone is keeping from me.”

 

“Eren, do you know how hard that would be? Aside from the fact that you are the prince, a lot of our friends are loud mouths who can’t keep a secret.” Armin pointed out.

 

“Yeah, that’s why it’s weird!” Eren threw his hands out in a gesture that Armin read as agreement.

 

“I think you’re just imagining things, Eren.” Armin said.

 

“I’m not imagining things!” Eren scowled. “You really don’t want to talk about this. You know what they’re keeping from me!”

 

“So now I’m in on this conspiracy too?” Armin raised his eyebrows at Eren’s accusation.

 

“Apparently!” Eren pointed his finger at Armin. “You really want to brush this off and usually you talk me through stuff.”

 

“That’s because this is stupid, Eren. You have no real evidence that they’re keeping something from you. Why would I walk you through that?” Armin asked a little too defensively for Eren’s tastes.

 

“I already told you; everyone is acting funny around Levi.”

 

“He’s scary, Eren! He’s an apex predator with a reputation. People are going to be uneasy around him!”

 

“He’s technically a slave just like them! Why would they be afraid of him if they’re all in the same position?” Eren countered.

 

“Because sometimes you can’t just easily get over something like that. You spend your whole life fearing someone only to end up working with them; you’re still going to be afraid of them.” Armin tried to reason. “It’s called instincts, Eren. You’re born with them. You can’t just suppress them willy-nilly. It’s like your fear of heights. Just because you aren’t going to fling yourself willingly off a cliff doesn’t mean they don’t scare you. It’s called self preservation and you don’t have much of it.”

 

“Armin, you aren’t telling me something.” Eren’s voice dropped an octave. It wasn’t a voice he used often but Mikasa called it his “Princely Voice” because he used it when dealing with rude or stubborn royals who wouldn’t listen to him.

 

“Don’t use that voice on me!” Armin’s eyes widened.

 

“Tell me what everyone is hiding from me, Armin.” Eren demanded.

 

“Look, just ask Levi yourself. He’ll tell you if you don’t believe me.” Armin relented.

 

“So you do admit there’s something you guys are hiding!” Eren shouted.

 

“No I am not admitting anything, Eren. Even if I was-which I’m not saying I am-I wouldn’t even be able to tell you what. You have to get that information from Levi.” Armin told him.

 

“Why is it such a big deal?” Eren tried to get Armin to tell him.

 

“No, Eren, I can’t tell you. That’s Levi’s story to tell.” Armin stayed firm.

 

“Fine, I’ll ask Levi then.” Eren sighed. “It better be something cool.”

 

“It’s…something.” Armin admitted.

 

 

“Hey, Levi?” Eren asked tentatively later that night.

 

“Hey, Eren?” Levi jokingly replied from his bed where he was reading some book that was written in characters he couldn’t understand. Eren assumed it was the language of the Kyojin.

 

“I’ve got a question.” Eren said, rolling over onto his side to face Levi and propping his chin on his arm.

 

“So I’ve gathered.” Levi continued to read but after a moment of silence he let out a sigh and looked at Eren. “Go ahead and ask, Brat. You won’t be satisfied until you do.”

 

“So, I’ve noticed something interesting lately,” Eren started.

 

“Okay?” Levi gave him a look that Eren understood as Levi’s way of trying to get Eren to continue his thoughts.

 

“I noticed that whenever we’re around other Kyojin they act differently than they do when it’s just me,” Eren finally said. “I wasn’t sure why that was.”

 

“Probably because I have a reputation.” Levi shrugged and looked back at his book but Eren could see Levi looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

 

“No, Armin already tried that bullshit on me but this is different.” Eren persisted with his questioning. “It’s almost like how regular people react to me when I leave the castle.”

 

“You really aren’t going to let this go, are you?” Levi sighed heavily.

 

“No, because there’s something wrong.” Eren frowned at the Kyojin.

 

“I guess it can’t be helped,” Levi closed his book and laid it down on the table next to his bed.

 

“Now you’re just freaking me out.” Eren let out a shaky chuckle. Levi was acting incredibly serious for something he was trying to blow of seconds earlier.

 

“Eren, I wasn’t lying to you when I told you that I had- _have_ \- a reputation that precedes me.” Levi said and turned to look at Eren dead on.

 

“Okay? What kind of reputation do you have exactly, Levi?” Eren asked.

 

“Eren, I’m a prince.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BAM! I think (know) some of you saw this coming but I'm going to pretend you didn't just because I can. I love hearing what you guys have to say about the story and my chapters and your theories on things (especially Levi) so please don't be afraid to comment. I don't bite (my readers lol I do bite my brother though). Let me know what you think!


	12. Actions Speak Louder Than Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi drops a bomb. Eren doesn't believe him. An argument ensues. Eren makes a rash decision. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo another chapter just barely under 24 hours! I actually edited this at work on my lunch lol. Hopefully, I'll be able to edit more now that I finished filing my taxes OTL 
> 
> I think a lot of you are going to like this chapter. Eren is so....strange.

Chapter 12

 

“Eren, I’m a prince.” Levi admitted.

 

There was a long pause during which Eren just blinked owlishly at Levi. It took Eren’s brain a longer than normal moment to catch up with what Levi had just told him. Instead of freaking out like Levi had anticipated, Eren let out a loud hoot of laughter.

 

“Oh my God, Levi, I thought you just said you were a prince!” Eren wheezed.

 

“I did.” Levi deadpanned.

 

“I think this is the funniest joke you’ve ever told,” Eren chuckled. But his chuckles died down after a moment of Levi just staring at Eren. When Eren realized that Levi was not in fact joking he stopped laughing. “Oh my God, you’re being serious!”

 

“Took you long enough,” Levi said under his breath. “Yes, I’m being serious. Why would I joke around about that?”

 

“I didn’t know Kyojin had princes!” Eren nearly shouted.

 

“It’s a well kept secret?” Levi shrugged. He didn’t really have an answer to give for that one. He supposed no one was truly sworn to secrecy but it was an unspoken rule that you don’t tell humans about the monarchy.

 

“Yeah, no shit!” Eren sat straight up in his bed. “It makes sense though. You know how to read and write, you’re well educated, well spoken, you hold yourself differently than most people and have impeccable manners. How did I not see this?!”

 

“Probably because you’re used to it,” Levi shrugged. “Everyone here is exactly how you described me. The only difference is that those people are human. You view Kyojin and humans as being on the same level so you never really put two-and-two together.”

 

“Who else knows that you’re a prince?” Eren asked.

 

“Aside from every Kyojin here?” Levi half joked but when he got no response from Eren he continued, “Not many humans. I’d say next to none. No one pays much attention to me unless you’re around. I think your mother has at least a suspicion. She hinted at it when we had dinner together that first night.”

 

“She never mentioned anything to me…”Eren frowned thinking about his mother knowing but never saying anything to him.

 

“She probably figured it wasn’t that big of a deal,” Levi said.

 

“It’s a huge deal though! You’re a prince, Levi!” Eren said.

 

“Well, in case you have yet to notice, I’m not much of a prince anymore. I wasn’t really a prince anyway.” Levi shrugged.

 

“How’s that?”

 

“My dad passed away a while ago during a fight with the damn Leopards. He got a wound on his leg that never healed and caused a fever and infection which ended up being fatal. I took over so I guess that makes me king?” Levi pondered.

  
“THAT’S EVEN WORSE!” Eren shouted.

 

“How is that worse?” Levi glared at Eren for shouting when he knew Levi had sensitive hearing.

 

“I literally have the King of the Kyojin living with me as a presumed sex slave.” Eren pointed out.

 

“In your defense, you didn’t know.” Levi joked.

 

“This isn’t a joke, Levi.” Eren glared at the Kyojin. How could he be acting like this was all a big joke?

 

“Well, what’s done is done, Kid.” Levi shrugged. “You didn’t know, and now here I am in some fucked up twist of fate.”

 

“It’s been my goal to end the enslavement of Kyojin and help mend the tensions between us but I can’t do that if my ‘sex slave’ is their fucking _king_.” Eren growled. “So, yeah, it’s a big fucking deal to me.”

 

“Eren, that’s a long ways off,” Levi’s hair bristled in irritation and in response to Eren’s hostile tone. “We can cross that bridge when we get to it.”

 

“Levi, you are a fucking king,” Eren stood up from his bed. “We need to cross that bridge _now_.”

 

“At ten thirty at night?”

 

“YES!” Eren shouted. “This is not some bomb you get to drop, hope I’m okay with, and then roll over and go to bed like nothing happened. This is a big fucking deal and we need to figure something out now.”

 

“There’s nothing to figure out, Eren.” Levi rose to stand chest-to-chest with the Prince. He would not be intimidated by some child. “I was captured and now I am here with you. I can’t be set free, you weren’t the one who captured me and I have no other choice that to act as your servant until something changes. What do you want me to say, Eren? That it’s okay that I was captured? That I’m okay with being here? That I don’t want to see my family? That I don’t miss being free?”

 

“No, I don’t want you to say any of that because you’d be lying! I don’t want you to lie to me, Levi!” Eren’s eyes showed his hurt at Levi’s words but he remained firm in his stance. “I want you to be straight with me and to help me figure out what I can do! I can’t keep the King of the Kyojin captive!”

 

“You don’t have much of a choice, do you?” Levi said bitterly.

 

“We can figure something out!” Eren insisted. “I don’t want you to be away from your family and I can’t keep you here like this. It’s not what your were supposed to be doing.”

 

“Oh, so now it’s not okay because you know I’m a king? If I wasn’t a king then it would be okay?” Levi spat.

 

“It was never okay to begin with and you know that!” Eren scowled at Levi. “You need to be back with your people, Levi. They must be a mess without you.”

 

“They have my children. One of them has to have already taken my place.” Levi pointed out.

 

“But still!”

 

“Look, I know you want to save the world Eren but you’re just a kid and you don’t have any power yet so can we just deal with all of this later, please?” Levi frowned. “I don’t want to discuss this anymore. I’m tired.”

 

“I do have some power, Levi. It’s limited but I have it!” Eren pointed out. “You can’t just keep ignoring all the issues we are facing just because it’s inconvenient for you.”

 

“Listen, Brat,” Levi hissed in Eren’s face and grabbed his nightshirt. Their faces were so close now that their noses were nearly touching. “Let’s get a few things straight; I am not ignoring anything. I’m very aware of the situation I am in. Do you think this is not inconvenient for me? It’s way more than just inconvenient.”

 

“You sure are acting like it. You just ignore everything that you don’t want to deal with. This is not the only thing!” Eren growled in anger.

 

“This is the only problem! Unless there’s something else you want to add on.” Levi spat back.

 

“Yeah, I do actually,” Eren’s eyes lit up with determination. It was so startling that Levi almost let him go. “I think we should discuss _this_.”

 

As soon as the words left Eren’s mouth, Eren slotted their lips together. It wasn’t how Eren imagined their first kiss to go but then again, Eren thought they’d be mutually in love by that point. It was just lips on lips and it lasted for maybe three seconds before Levi whipped his head back and let go of Eren’s shirt.

 

“Levi, I-“ Eren started as soon as he had realized what he had just done.

 

“I gotta get out of here,” Levi said quietly before he spun around on his heels and ran out the door leaving Eren in an empty room to think about what he had just done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOW ABOUT THEM APPLES?! How do you guys like me now ;) Things progress! I think I'll be able to update again in like an hour or so since I'm pretty much finished with editing both the next chapter and the chapter after it. So be on the lookout for those and be careful that you don't accidentally a chapter since this fic has become so plot heavy. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think!!!!


	13. The Chapter In Which Armin Explains Everything. Again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren whines to Armin. Armin has zero sympathy. Armin is a scheming mofo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STAHP! If you haven't read chapters 11 and 12 or are not sure, make sure you do/did. As I've said before, this fic is very plot heavy and if you miss one chapter you miss a lot and other chapters just don't make sense. I just want to make sure everyone checks since I've updated two chapters in 10 minutes. And as always, if you're reading this post-completed then just disregard this entire paragraph. Carry on! 
> 
> Basically this whole chapter is Armin being a saint and also being one smart, scheming motherfucker. I should've just named the chapter "Don't Fuck With Armin" honestly. No Levi in this chapter BUT he will return in the next chapter.

Chapter 13

 

Levi did not come back to the room that night. Eren waited up hoping that he would be awake when Levi returned so he could apologize, but he ended up passing out at about five in the morning.

 

Without Levi to wake him up, Eren woke at about eleven that morning to a cold and empty bedroom. It was evident that Levi had not come back while Eren was asleep since Levi’s bed remained unmade and Eren’s clothes were not set on top of his desk like they normally were.

 

Eren laid in bed thinking of what happened and their argument for another half hour before he forced himself to take a shower. The shower didn’t help much to calm him down but at least he was clean.

 

Eren trudged his way to the kitchen in search of food. While he was there he asked the girls (and Connie) if they had seen Levi. All of them told him that they had not seen Levi that day and Eren found himself more disappointed that he had wanted to admit.

 

Eventually, he found his way to Erwin’s office where he knew he’d find Armin.

 

He was right of course. Erwin was out of his office at some meeting with Eren’s father which left him and Armin alone at least for a few hours. Upon entering the office, Eren found Armin filing documents and Eren almost scoffed at how much of a receptionist his friend was.

 

“Eren? What are you doing here?” Armin asked his friend when he saw him enter the office.

 

“I fucked up,” Eren said and flopped in one of the chairs in Erwin’s office.

 

“You seem to be doing that a lot lately.” Armin sighed and turned around to completely face the moping prince. “What’d you do this time?”

 

“Who says it was my fault?” Eren asked his friend. Armin only shot him a look. “Alright, it was my fault.”

 

“What’d you do?” Armin asked again.

 

“Levi and I got into a fight.” Eren said.

 

“Over what?” Armin asked surprise obvious on his face.

 

“I asked him why everyone acts weird around him and he told me who he was.” Eren’s sentence made Armin’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head with surprise.

 

“He actually told you?” Armin said.

 

“Yeah,” Eren nodded. “He’s the King of the Kyojin.”

 

“King?” Armin frowned. “I didn’t know his father had died. When I was captured, he was still just a prince.”

 

“’Just a prince’” Eren scoffed at Armin’s choice of words. “Well, his dad died at some point, which makes him the fucking King. How could no one bother to tell me this?”

 

“We all want to keep the monarchy from humans if we can, Eren.” Armin said sadly and took a seat next to his friend. “If the humans knew we had a monarchy everything would go to shit. They’d become even more relentless than they already are now.”

 

“I guess you’re right,” Eren sighed.

 

“I know I’m right.” Armin said. “If humans were to find out who Levi was, they’d hunt his children and tribe down and slaughter them all. Without our King we wouldn’t know what to do. Levi and his father have tried their best to keep us as safe as they can. It’s impossible to save everyone but they did their best.”

 

“How’d they save you guys?” Eren asked. He didn’t know that they went around saving other Kyojin.

 

“They would use intel they gathered from moles to warn tribes when the military would get close. It saved countless lives, Eren. Unfortunately it seems that someone told the military where Levi’s tribe had hidden themselves.”

 

“So Levi has a mole in here somewhere?” Eren asked.

 

“He has a lot of them actually,” Armin admitted hesitantly. “They’ve made a lot of allies over the years and have used them to their advantage.”

 

“But wait,” Eren said suddenly remembering a story Levi told him. “What about the tribe that tried to kill his? Why would they do that if he’s the King? Wouldn't that be counter productive?”

 

“For power, obviously.” Armin told him. “The tribe was after power. If they killed Levi’s tribe then they could take over the monarchy and rule for themselves. It didn’t and hasn’t worked, fortunately. If anything, it solidified just how powerful Levi’s clan truly is. It helped us realize that there were facts to the stories we were told as children.”

 

“What am I going to do, Armin?” Eren whined thinking about how Levi hadn’t returned. “I have your King enslaved right now and I want to make peace with the Kyojin.”

 

“Maybe you can team up with Levi to do that.” Armin suggested. “He is the King and he is from the most powerful tribe. He could probably organize something.”

 

“Kind of like a coup?” Eren suggested.

 

“I suppose,” Armin said thinking. Eren could see the gears turning in Armin’s scheming little head of his as he thought through the idea of a coup. “I mean, it would get rid of the ‘old power’ and put you in power. With you in power you could release us as a sign of goodwill. You already have a good relationship with Levi and since he is the acting King, he could announce a peace treaty with you. If he does that then all Kyojin have no choice but to follow his orders.

 

“This could work, Eren. But we would need a lot of help and it would take a lot of planning.” Armin told his friend.

 

“You’re the best strategist I know, Armin.” Eren told his friend. “If anyone could think of a way to pull this off it’s you. Although, Levi and my relationship isn’t exactly that great right now.”

 

“What do you mean, Eren?” Armin looked at his friend in trepidation. “You guys had a small fight. You can just talk it out and get over it like adults.”

 

“See, that’s the thing,” Eren gave an awkward laugh. “I may or may not have kissed him too.”

  
“You kissed him?!” Armin screeched.

 

“Possibly…”

 

“Was this before or after you guys argued about him being a king?” Armin asked warily.

 

“Uh…after?” Eren gave a shaky smile. “I kissed him and then he left and never came back.”

 

“Eren, you have to find him and apologize,” Armin sighed.

 

“I know, but I can’t find him.” Eren said. “I’ve looked everywhere and no one has seen him today.”

 

“I may know where he is.” Armin said after a moment.

 

“Really?!” Eren sprung out of his chair. “Where is he?”

 

“Follow me,” Armin said standing up. “I need to be there because you clearly keep fucking up and you can’t fuck up this apology too.”

 

“Ouch.” Eren pretended to be hurt, even going as far as to pretend that Armin stabbed him in the heart. “Your words wound me.”

 

“Just come on,” Armin snorted and led him out of the office in search of Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So can we all see why I chose this name for this chapter? Armin is one smart, scheming motherfucker. He has a little bit of his own self interest in mind but hey, everyone wins right? 
> 
> Also, if you've been reading the side fic then let it be known I also added Levi in there so be sure to check it out. There's a video link at the end that I highly suggest everyone watches. It's funny and it has a lot of good information on Caracals. It's only a few minutes long so it'd be good to check it out! 
> 
> Until the next update!


	14. An Apple A Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin helps Eren. New people are introduced. Levi and Eren argue some more. Eren makes a suggestion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STAHP! Make sure you have read the last few chapters before reading this one. Then check again. Be 100% sure. This is my third update today and I don't want you to miss anything. 
> 
> So a lot of you had the reaction I was expecting to the last few chapters :) Eren is a doer not a thinker. He does things and then thinks about them later. Do not be Eren. 
> 
> Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter too! The next one shall be posted within an hour or so (at this rate the whole fic will be posted by Saturday lol). 
> 
> ENJOY!!!

Chapter 14

 

“Armin, what are we doing here?” Eren glanced around while following his friend. He knew this wing of the castle, sure. He had been here many times especially during his childhood and early teenage years. Any time he and Jean would get into a fight their instructors usually ended up having to send both boys to the medical wing so Hanji could patch them up before sending them on their way. But what would Levi be doing here? He wasn’t hurt or in need of any medical assistance.

 

“I have a feeling Levi is here,” Armin shrugged but didn’t stop walking.

 

“Are you sure? This is the medical wing.” Eren looked at his friend quizzically.

 

“Yes, he’s visiting an old friend of his.”

 

“An old friend? Here?” Eren thought and thought about who Levi could possibly be friends with. The medical wing was, for the most part, void of Kyojin. Most of the people in the medical wing had training which was something that the Kyojin were not typically offered.

 

A few moments later Eren and Armin arrived in front of a familiar door. It wasn’t anything special, just a dark wooden door but Eren knew this door all too well.

 

“Why are we at Hanji’s?” Eren turned to his friend but he just ignored him and knocked on the door. “Armin, what is going on?”

 

Before Armin could answer his question the door swung open causing both Eren and Armin to startle.

 

“Armin!” Hanji’s unmistakable (and loud) voice shrieked through the halls. “How are you, dear?”

 

“I’m fine, Hanji.” Armin said before looking at Eren. Hanji followed his eyes to Eren.

 

“Eren!” She said jubilantly. “What are you doing here? Did you get hurt again? Is that why Armin brought you here? I’ll go get my stuff to patch you up.”

 

“Actually,” Armin said quickly before Hanji could disappear into her room. “We were wondering if Levi was here.”

 

“Levi?” Hanji said in a slightly higher voice than normal. “What makes you think he’d be here? Shouldn’t he be with Eren?”

 

“Hanji,” Armin said with a serious voice. “I know he’s here. He ran away last night and never came back.”

 

“Hoh?” She raised her eyebrows but her eyes were slightly wider than usual leading Eren to believe that she was hiding something.

 

“He’s not with Erwin,” Armin continued. “Which means that he has to be here. There’s nowhere else that he could possibly be.”

 

Armin and Hanji had a silent stare off. Neither of them said a single word, which made Eren feel just a wee bit uncomfortable, but they did narrow their eyes a few times at each other. Finally, after a minute of staring, Armin let out a low growl that made both Eren and Hanji startle a little.

 

“Alright. You got me.” Hanji sighed. “He’s in one of the rooms I check patients in. I’ll take you to him.”

 

“Thank you!” Armin said in his normal voice. It sort of creeped Eren out how quickly he went from feral-like dog to normal Armin. It was also a reminder not to fuck with Armin.

 

They walked further down the hall before they came to one of the rooms that Hanji kept patients in. She motioned for Eren to stand a little to the side, which would keep him behind the door when it opened, effectively blocking him from view. She knocked once before throwing open the door and striding confidently inside the room.

 

“Oi!” Eren heard Levi shout. “What the fuck are you doing, Shitty Glasses!”

 

“Coming to see my favorite grump of course!” Hanji replied in her normal cheery voice.

 

“Would it kill you to wait after you knocked?” Levi complained. Eren had never heard Levi talk this way which further reminded him how much further he had to go in order to fully gain Levi’s trust. It also made him feel a little jealous that he was more comfortable with Hanji than he was with Eren.

 

“Oh, it’s nothing I’ve never seen before.” She laughed. “Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

 

“That’s really not the fucking point, Four Eyes.” Levi sighed, clearly not amused by her antics. “Why are you giving me a weirder than normal look?”

 

“Well, you have some visitors,” Hanji started off with.

 

“Who?” Levi asked carefully.

 

“Well, Armin is here,” Hanji said slowly before adding, “And he brought Eren along with him.”

 

“Fucking shit!” Levi huffed. “He’s here right now?”

 

“He’s outside the door actually,” Hanji admitted. “I’m pretty sure he can hear every word we’re saying.”

There was a long pause in which Eren didn’t think he even breathed before Levi said, “Might as well come in then, Brat.”

 

Eren rounded the door carefully. Even though the Kyojin had let him in he still felt like he didn’t want to approach him too quickly. He almost laughed to himself because he realized he was acting like he was approaching a scared or angry cat.

 

“Hey Levi,” Eren said awkwardly as soon as he was in the room.

 

Levi was standing opposite of him; his normal impassive face on but his stiffly flickering tail gave away his obvious irritation. His black ears were pulled flat to his head which was another sign Eren had learned to look for when Levi was angry.

 

“What are you doing here?” Levi glared at him not wasting anytime on idle chit-chat.

 

“I think I’ll leave you two alone to work whatever it is that’s going on out.” Hanji said quickly before rushing out of the room and closing the door.

 

“Well, I guess it’s just us.” Eren laughed awkwardly.

 

“Get on with it, Eren.” Levi said stiffly.

 

“I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have done that, it was wrong.” Eren said point-blank. “I never wanted to argue with you like that and I certainly didn’t want you to find out I liked you in that way either.”

 

“What do you mean you ‘like me that way’?” Levi asked him with narrowed eyes.

 

“I have deeper feelings than just friends, Levi.” Eren admitted. “I wasn’t sure I was even going to tell you because I didn’t think you’d reciprocate them.”

 

“You don’t mean that.” Levi said.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Eren asked with wide eyes. He was ready to face the very real possibility that Levi didn’t feel the same way towards Eren that he felt towards Levi but he sure as hell wasn’t expecting Levi to accuse him of not meaning how he felt.

 

“I mean,” Levi continued. “That you don’t actually like me. Sure, you think you may like me but that’s just peer pressure.”

 

“You think I got _peer pressured_ into liking you?” Eren asked in disbelief.

 

“Yes,” Levi nodded. “Like Reverse Stockholm Syndrome. You grew to have what you think are romantic feelings for me because that’s what is expected. You’re misinterpreting you feelings of pity for my situation into romantic, puppy love.”

 

“I can assure you that’s not what this is, Levi!” Eren was shocked that Levi would even suggest such a preposterous idea! “If I had Reverse Stockholm Syndrome I would’ve been romantically involved with Armin or Mikasa long before you arrived!”

 

“You didn’t live with them like you do me!” Levi countered.   


“I used to crawl into bed with them at night as a kid!” Eren nearly shouted in exasperation. “Look, I know that this whole thing is uncomfortable; I get that. But please don’t tell me how I do or don’t feel!”

 

“I just don’t want you to get hurt when you realize what your feelings really are, Eren.” Levi said quietly. His tail had stopped swaying and was now hanging limp behind him and his ears were sticking out to the sides.

 

“Why are you acting like you’re afraid that I may be in love with you?” Eren asked finally realizing why Levi was so desperate to avoid the conversation and Eren’s feelings. “Levi, do you also have feelings for me?”

 

“That has nothing to do with this-“ Levi began but Eren cut him off before he could finish.   


“That has everything to do with this!”

  
“Eren, how I feel doesn’t matter,” Levi said sadly. “I am just your slave. Nothing more. I can’t be what you want me to be.”

 

“And pray tell what would that be?” Eren crossed his arms in front of his chest.

 

“You want a mate,” Levi said straightforward. “You want someone who you can spend your life with. Someone who, when you become king, can rule along side you. But I can’t do that, Eren. I am a _slave_. You may have forgotten that nor do you care but others do care and they will do everything they can to prevent me from ruling with you.”

 

“I won’t let that happen to us, Levi.” Eren sighed and walked over to the obviously distressed Kyojin. “I decide my own fate. I don’t have to let others decide it for me. If I want you to rule next to me then that’s what you’ll do. Anyone who says otherwise will be taken care of.”

 

“Eren,” Levi looked up at the tall burnet. “You can’t do that. Your father will chose a woman for you who can give you a family, a partner and a friend. You two will rule together and eventually die together. I will just be in the background.”

 

“No Levi,” Eren sighed sadly and took the Kyojin in his arms. At first Levi tried to fight him but when it became apparent that Eren wasn’t going anywhere, he allowed himself to relax into the hug. “That won’t happen because my dad won’t be able to get to that point.”

 

“What are you talking about, Eren?” Levi breathed into Eren’s shoulder. “You’re acting like your father isn’t going to be in power for much longer.”

 

When Eren remained silent Levi pulled away slightly to give the man an accusing look.

 

“Eren, what stupid idea do you have floating in that head of yours?” Levi frowned.

 

“It’s not a stupid idea,” Eren pouted. “Armin came up with it.”

 

“What do you two have planned?” Levi demanded.

 

“We’re planning a coup d’état.” Eren said reluctantly. He knew that Levi wasn’t going to like the idea but he couldn’t keep it a secret.

 

“Eren, that’s a fucking awful idea!” Levi scolded. “How the hell do you think you’re going to pull this off? In case you haven’t noticed, your father has an entire army at his disposal and several other royals on his side. You don’t have control over the army yet.”

 

“No,” Eren said slowly. “But I do have the support of all the Kyojin in the castle and some of the army that I train with.”

 

“That’s still not going to be enough, Eren.” Levi pointed out.

 

“Well, maybe you could help us.” Eren suggested.

 

“I am not going to be enough, either.” Levi rolled his eyes. “I’m good but I am not good enough to keep that sinking ship afloat.”

 

“That’s not what I meant,” Eren said. “You’re The Kyojin King.”

 

“Yes, and your point is?” Levi drawled.

 

“You command the Kyojin,” Eren pointed out. “You can get them to help us.”

 

“Eren, even if I could get ahold of them and somehow manage to coordinate that, asking them to fight with us against the King’s army would be like sending them into a trap.” Levi reminded him.

 

“But, what if we had enough man power to over throw them?” Eren said. “Your tribe alone is incredibly powerful. Levi, it took over half the army to take on just you. Imagine what all over the remaining Kyojin could do!”

 

“And how exactly do you expect me to get ahold of my tribe?” Levi asked. “They aren’t exactly easy to find. And even if someone did find them, the chances of them getting out are incredibly slim.”

 

“Not if we sent a messenger,” Eren mused.

 

“Oh? And who exactly do you think is going to be able to slip past security and get to my people without raising any alarms?” Levi challenged.

 

“Another Kyojin of course.” Eren shrugged.

  
“Who? No Kyojin are able to get past your guards.” Levi pointed out.

 

“Well, I can think of someone who can,” Eren smiled maniacally at Levi.

 

“Who?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone: I introduce you to Hanji! Also we are starting the final arc of this story :'( This story is shorter than my other ones but the chapters are also longer. I have a few side stories that accompany this fic so I will begin posting those when they become relevant. 
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think!!


	15. The Messenger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren tries to convince a messanger. Levi takes control. Eren learns about another one of Levi's abilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! A lot of you guys really enjoyed the last chapter so I'm so glad to hear that! I was so excited to get to introduce Hanji to the story! I love the fun and humor that she brings to stories. I know that hyperactive Hanji is a bit of a cliche but I thought that serious Hanji wouldn't fit well with my story (Levi is serious enough for everyone else). 
> 
> A few more characters are going to be introduced but they will be fairly minor (sorry!). But, some of them will/ do appear in my side fic that I wrote. It's a bunch of side stories that happen in between chapters and is told from Levi's POV so be sure to check it out! 
> 
> Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 15

 

“And pray tell, how do you think I’m going to be able to pull this off?” A monotone voice that rivals Levi’s asked the man in front of her.

 

“’Cause you’re _you_ , Annie.” Eren whined to his friend.

 

After their discussion slash make up, Eren had promptly headed towards the maid’s quarters, Levi in tow of course. When they had arrived, Eren suggested that Levi wait outside unless Eren called to him explaining that Annie was very private and if she saw Levi, he couldn’t guarantee that she’d even entertain the idea. At least he knew she’d entertain the idea if Eren was alone.

 

It was proving to be a lot more difficult than Eren had expected, however. Annie was not someone you could just coerce into doing something she didn’t want to do. Annie was as strong as she was stoic-and she was very stoic. She was a skilled fighter and was a knight’s assistant but after an injury to the arm about four weeks ago, she wasn’t able to train with her squad and was forced to help the maids until she was able to fight with the knights again.

 

Eren had grown up knowing Annie and often looked to here for tips when he was sparring. She always landed him flat on his ass, but that never deterred him and he knew that she didn’t aim to hurt him. She was Mikasa’s closest friend besides Armin and himself which made convincing her to do something for Mikasa’s benefit a little easier. However, that route proved to be in vain and he was forced to beg. Some may even say he was groveling.

 

“You can slip through their grasps like no one I’ve ever seen before,” Eren pointed out.

 

“Just because I _can_ doesn’t mean it's a good idea.” Annie sighed.

 

“Look, this isn’t something I’d ask you to do if I had someone else I trusted that could pull this off.” Eren sighed realizing he wasn’t getting very far with any of his previous tactics.

“This is a bad idea, Eren.” Annie said. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do but I can tell that this is a bad idea.”

 

It was then that the door to the maid’s closet opened and Levi strode inside. Upon seeing the other Kyojin, Annie’s eyes widened slightly.

 

“Hello, Annie.” Levi said. Eren had never seen Levi hold himself in the way he was now. Sure, Levi had a certain distinguished aura to him and he never backed down nor did he fully submit to anyone, but he had never looked like this.

 

Levi’s ears were held straight up, his face impassive as always but his chin was held high, his shoulders rolled back and his back completely straight. Levi’s tail was not swaying gently side to side, as it typically was when he was at ease. No, his tail was still but instead of hanging limp, it was curled slightly so it was held straight up.

 

Eren could mentally picture a crown sitting on the top of his head. Levi looked distinguished.

 

“ _No,”_ Eren corrected himself mentally, “ _He looks like a king._ ”

 

“Sir,” Annie all but whispered. It was obvious that she was not expecting to see her king here. “I heard rumors that you were here but I didn’t believe them.”

 

“Unfortunately these rumors are true,” Levi said in a voice that commanded attention. Eren knew that voice, he had used it before, as had his mother and father. He was usually immune to it since he had heard it used so much but he found that even he was listening keenly to every little word Levi said. “I am Eren’s slave now. But that is not why I am here. I need your help, Leonhart.”

 

“Eren told me that he needed me to deliver some message to someone for him but didn’t specify who.” Annie told Levi.

 

“He’s trying to remain as discrete as he possibly can,” Levi informed the blonde in front of him. “But both he and I need your help delivering the message.”

 

“Whom is supposed to receive the message, Sir?” Annie asked. It was almost unnerving to see someone as strong and impassive as Annie become putty in Levi’s hands.

 

Levi glanced around the closet for a moment before deciding that it was best to switch into the language of the Kyojin. It was better to speak in a language humans couldn’t understand to avoid someone overhearing their plans and telling the king. He knew his fellow Kyojin wouldn’t rat them out, especially because he was giving the orders.

 

 _“I need you to deliver a letter I will write to the Caracal Tribe,”_ Levi told her.

_“Sir!”_ Annie frowned _. “They are nearly impossible to find unless they_ want _to be found. If you were taken from them, then I hardly think they’ll want to be found even by fellow Kyojin.”_

_“I know where they are,”_ Levi told her. _“If I tell you where to find them and what to say when you do, then they will listen.”_

_“Are you sure? I’m sure they are at unease.”_ Annie said. _“Especially if the Leopards have caught wind of your capture.”_

_“I know what the Leopards will do if they find out and I know how they think. That’s why I need you to go as quickly and as swiftly as possible. Do you understand?”_ Levi hardened his gaze, he knew Annie would notice the change in his eyes and understand what he was doing. He didn’t do this often, but he felt it was necessary. Levi knew she saw what he was doing when Annie went completely stiff in front of him.

 

 _“Yes,”_ Annie said after a moment. _“I will go as soon as you give me the letter, Sir.”_

 

 _“Thank you.”_ Levi said before turning back to Eren and speaking in the human language again. “I’ve taken care of it. We need to get out of here before we cause too much suspicion. Two Kyojin and the Prince hanging out in a closet is not exactly a normal thing.”

 

“Agreed,” Eren nodded and followed Levi out of the closet and into the hall, sparing one last glance at Annie who just nodded to him.

 

 

“So what was that all about?” Eren asked as soon as they were safely in his room.

 

“That was me convincing Annie to take the letter to my tribe.” Levi said plainly.

 

“Okay, well I got that much.” Eren rolled his eyes.

 

“So then why’d you ask?”

 

“Because I’ve never seen Annie act like that and I’ve known her most of my life.” Eren told the Kyojin as he sat on his bed.

 

Levi had just taken a seat at Eren’s desk and began rummaging (neatly) through the drawers in search of paper and a pen.

 

“Well that may be due to the fact that I’m her king.” Levi suggested, finding what he was looking for.

 

“Maybe,” Eren shrugged. “But what was that at the end? Whatever you did, it freaked her out and nothing freaks Annie out.”

 

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about, Kid.” Levi said.

 

“The glaring thing,” Eren told him. “You know, when you glared at her she went totally board stiff and then agreed to help us. Well, I didn’t understand a word that you said but I’m assuming that’s what she did.”

 

“She did agree to help us,” Levi confirmed. “All I did was glare at her.”

 

“You did something more than that.” Eren scrunched his nose up. He had a feeling that Levi was avoiding telling him something. “What aren’t you telling me, Levi?”

 

“Why do you assume that I'm keeping something from you?” Levi turned around to face Eren.

 

“Because you’re avoiding my questions and giving me cryptic as fuck answers. Why can’t you just tell me straight up what you did?” Eren pointed out, returning the look that Levi was shooting him.

 

“Fine,” Levi finally surrendered, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

“So you are hiding something then!” Eren crossed his arms over his chest. “I thought we agreed not to keep secrets, Levi.”

  
“We did, we did.” Levi placated the man in front of him.

 

“So what did you do?” Eren asked again hoping Levi would give him a real answer this time.   


“So, remember how I told you about the two felines that broke apart?” Levi asked.

 

“Yeah,” Eren nodded recalling the story Levi had told him.

 

“Well, along with being able to bear kittens, direct descendants of the original Caracal inherited another gift that no other bloodline possesses. We have the ability to see if someone is being honest with us along with the ability to see if his or her intentions are pure. This allows us to be able to govern our people based off of the input of others without being deceived. It is something only my bloodline possesses.” Levi told Eren.

 

There was a long pause in which Eren processed the information Levi had just told him before Eren spoke.

 

“So you’re telling me that you’re basically a walking bullshit detector?” Eren asked.

 

“Well, I’d put it a little more eloquently than that but the sediment is the same so yes,” Levi snorted.

 

“That’s sick as fuck!” Eren grinned at the Kyojin. “If only I could do that!”

 

“You don’t need to have magical powers in order to tell if someone is bullshitting you, Eren.” Levi rolled his eyes. “You already do that.”

 

“Yeah, but it’s still hella cool.” Eren shrugged. “So, you have been able to see if I was lying to you or not this whole time?”

 

“Well, I can turn it off and on but yes.” Levi smirked at Eren’s excitement over something he thought of as trivial.

 

“So, did you see my intentions the first time we met back at the slave house?” Eren asked.

 

“Yes, I used it then.” Levi admitted. “I was curious to see what your true intentions were. That’s the only reason I allowed you to come so close to me while I was caged like that.”

 

“And when I saw you in my room that night?” Eren pressed.

 

“I used it again.” Levi said. “I was curious to see if your intentions would shift after getting me to the castle and having me in alone in your room. I wanted to know if they would remain innocent and pure or if they would be clouded over with lust and power.”

 

“I’m assuming you realized my intentions were nothing but pure then,” Eren said.

 

“Yes, that is the only reason I conversed with you that evening.” Levi told him. “If they were not pure then I would’ve stayed silent.”

 

“I’m glad you didn’t.” Eren smiled softly at the Kyojin. “But, why didn’t you use it last night then? If you used it then then you could’ve realized I wasn’t lying to you.”

 

“I was shocked by your actions.” Levi sighed. “I didn’t think-I just ran. I had never had that happen before.”

 

“And when I talked with you today?”

 

“I briefly used it. I just wanted to know how honest you were being about your feelings for me.” Levi confessed. “Once I realized that you weren’t just trying to play me, I gave in.”

 

“So, you do like me then.” Eren’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.

 

“Yes, Eren. I thought that was obvious.” Levi rolled his eyes but the slight smirk and hint of amusement in his normally passive eyes told Eren he wasn’t as irritated as he let on.

 

“So, if I tried to kiss you right now you’d let me?” Eren wiggled his eyebrows up and down at Levi.

 

“Don’t push your luck, Brat.” Levi snorted before turning around. “Now, stop distracting me. I need to finish this letter tonight so I can give it to Annie.”

 

“No fun,” Eren teased before lying back against his bed and closing his eyes. Maybe a short nap would do him some good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I strongly debated whether or not to keep Levi's talent or not. I thought it was a little much and kinda too out there but my friend really wanted me to keep it so I did (I wrote this for her after all). I think that Levi has a lot of secrets already but hey, what's one more ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ So hopefully it doesn't turn you guys off. If my friend wants it, it stays (she's fighting cancer so she's allowed to have what she wants :p ). 
> 
> As always, let me know what you think!


	16. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legends. Annie is forced to swim. Levi's tribe is not very welcoming of strangers. The King arrives. Letters are exchanged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STAHP! If you have not read the past two chapters be sure to do so. If you think you have, check. Then check again. I have updated twice today already and I want to be sure you all have read the past two chapters. 'Tis a plot heavy fic. 
> 
> So, I present to you the longest chapter I have ever written. This monster of a chapter is literally 20 pages and 4,100 words long. This is a massive chapter. It also has a lot of information in it too. I debated splitting this chapter into two parts but ultimately decided not to because I couldn't think of a place that I could cut it off at but have the next chapter still make sense. So here's your long ass chapter. 
> 
> Let me know what you think.

Chapter 16

 

It was dark in the library. Annie shifted her weight from side to side. To an onlooker, she’d appear as though she was just keeping her muscles warm before a fight or sparring session but to someone who really knew her, they’d recognize her movements as those of uneasiness.

 

She wanted to be in the library for as little time as possible. She didn’t want to risk the chances of her getting caught and having the whole operation blown to smithereens.

 

After her discussion with King Levi, Annie had sought out Armin. She knew that this whole plan could not be something Eren was orchestrating himself. He was not simply that bright. Eren was passionate and brave, sure, but bright was not an adjective Annie would use to describe him. But what Eren lacked in book smarts he made up for in determination and compassion. She had a deep respect for Eren despite his flaws, which was one of very few reasons she was doing this in the first place.

 

Armin had explained the coup to her. He had told her that Eren was tired of being held hostage under his father’s government and felt it was time to rid Titan of the current government. He told her how Eren wanted to send Levi back to his people but knew that the only way he could do that was if he overthrew his father. There were a few other people who were already in on the operation but they all decided that it was best if they kept the idea to themselves for the time being. The only reason Annie knew was because they needed her help.

 

It was true what Eren had said. She was the only one who could slip between the guards’ fingers. Being the only Kyojin-whether they realized it or not-to become a recognized knight, she could easily fabricate a lie saying that she needed to deliver a message to Nile-which wouldn't raise any suspicions since she had done it several times in the past for Commander Erwin.

 

Keeping her identity a secret from the other knights was difficult at times. She had the luck of having a more human like appearance instead of the appearances other Kyojin had.

 

Her breed had small ears and her tribe had begun to bob the tails of their young to allow them to blend in with humans as much as physically possible. This may seem cruel to some but ultimately it helped save the lives of many in her tribe. Whenever the word got out about a possible raid, the tribe would quickly shed their traditional clothes in favor of wearing regular human clothes. This had stopped them from being subjugated to many raids. It also allowed Annie to pass as a human and be a mole for the Kyojin. There were only a small handful of humans that knew she was a Kyojin but they knew not to say anything. Of course all the other Kyojin recognized her scent but knew better than to rat her out. She was one of their only chances of one day being free. She also sent messages to their families and clans on their behalf.

 

The door opened and Annie nearly startled. She knew that she was well hidden from human eyes but was visible to fellow Kyojin-especially Feline Kyojin. Her eyes saw King Levi approaching without a problem.

 

“Sir,” She spoke in the language of the Kyojin and placed her right fist over her heart while the left was placed behind her back but over her heart in a traditional sign of respect for her king. “Do you have everything ready for me?”

 

“Yes,” Levi responded with a nod in acknowledgement. “You are to find the Caracals. They will be located in the hidden cave behind the Maria Waterfall. It will not be easy to find but I trust that you can use your nose and ears to find the entrance hidden behind the rock wall. You will have to swim which I know your kind is not a fan of but it is necessary.”

 

“Yes, Sir.” Annie cringed when he said she’d have to swim. It was true; her kind hated swimming. Sure, they liked to bathe and drink but they didn’t actively search out swimming holes.

 

“Once you enter, you will mostly likely be confronted by several Caracals. Do not fight them; they are too well trained and will easily overpower you not to mention hurt you. Let them take you to the acting king or queen. Once you are before them, tell them that their father has sent you. If they ask for the code, roar. You will not be able to mimic our calls obviously but a roar should be enough for them to realize that I did indeed send you.

 

“Once they release you, I want you to give them my letter. They will probably hound you with questions-especially my daughter- and you can answer as many as you can if you so wish. I want for them to read the message in front of you and have them send a reply. It doesn’t have to be long but I need to know they will follow my instructions. Once they do that you may return to us. I don’t know what you’re planning to use as a cover story but if it requires you to stop then feel free but please come back within three days. It shouldn't take you too long to reach my tribe- especially with your breed’s stamina.”

 

“It should only take a few hours as long as I don’t run into any trouble along the way.” Annie agreed with her king. It was impressive that he knew so much about her breed but she guessed it was his job to know everything about everyone.

 

“That’s all I have for you,” Levi stepped back. “Now go and be safe!”

 

Without hesitation Annie followed her king’s orders.

 

She was almost to the courtyard when a voice whispered to her from the bushes: “Annie!”

  
“Armin!” She hissed and followed the Canine into the shrubs. “What are you doing?”

 

“I have something to give you before you go,” Armin told her.

  
“Make it fast, I need to leave as soon as I can.” Annie told him.

 

“Here,” Armin shoved a bag into Annie’s arms.

 

“What is this?” Annie looked at Armin in confusion.

 

“It’s a little bit of food and water,” Armin told her. “And a letter.”

 

“A letter?” Annie inquired. “For what?”

 

“Your story is you’re going to see Nile, right?” Annie nodded at Armin’s question. “You’re going to need something to give him.”

 

“And I’m supposed to give him this letter?” Annie asked. “What does it say?”

 

“Erwin wrote it for you,” Armin told her. “It’s basically some bullshit request for Nile and his henchmen to report to base for some meeting followed by a ball or banquet of some sort. I didn’t read it completely but Erwin figured that it would be easiest if we only had to orchestrate one ambush instead of several. Things would go a lot more smoothly if we did.”

 

“Wait, the Commander is in on this too?” Annie asked in disbelief.

 

“Of course he is. Who do you think helped me plan all of this? He’s always hated the idea of slaves,” Armin shrugged. “He has us for the same reason that Eren has Levi; to save us from worse fates. He figures if he can teach us to be self-sufficient then he’s done something good. He and Mike falling in love was a side thing that just kind of happened.”

 

“Give him my thanks then,” Annie said before standing up. “I need to head out.”

 

“Be careful and stay safe.” Armin told her and she gave him one last nod before setting off for the front gate.

  
As she reached the gate she breathed a small sigh of relief. The guards working the gate were Reiner and Jean tonight. She knew Reiner wouldn’t give her any issues and Jean was too stupid to ask questions that had any real depth to them.

 

“Hey, Annie!” Reiner waved to her as she approached the gate.

 

“Hi, guys.” She nodded to the pair.

 

“What’re you doing?” Jean asked her as she came to a halt in front of them.

 

“The Commander needed something delivered to Nile and asked me to do it since there’s not much else I can do until Hanji clears me for duty again.” She lied. Reiner sent her a discrete look over Jean’s shoulder, which she barely acknowledged with a look of her own.

 

“Oh, that sucks,” Jean’s face twisted up a look that was a cross between disgust and pity. “I hate going there; it gives me the creeps.”

 

“That’s probably because of what they do there, Jean.” Reiner chuckled and the smaller man’s reaction.

 

“Yeah,” Jean agreed. “I don't like slavery and being in a place I know they torture Kyojin into submission just doesn’t sit well with me or my conscious.”

 

“Me neither, but I gotta do what the Commander asks me to do.” Annie agreed. While Jean was not her favorite human in the castle she did appreciate his feelings towards slavery.

 

“He’s having you leave so late at night?” Reiner asked.

 

“Yeah, he says that the letter has some time sensitive information in it and it needs to get to Nile as soon as I can manage.” Annie lied with a shrug. “I guess that means I have to leave now. Commander’s orders.”

 

“Well alright,” Jean didn’t sound so convinced but gave in at the mention of the Commander. He entered his personal code to the command box and pulled down on one of several levers once the control panel opened.

 

“Stay safe, Annie.” Reiner’s farewell held a double meaning that Annie understood. She knew that Reiner knew something was up but trusted Annie at the same time. He was one of the handful of humans that knew what she was so she knew he wouldn’t out her right now but was sure to interrogate her upon her return.

 

“Will do,” Annie nodded at the two knights before taking off at a steady jog out the open gates.

 

 

It wasn’t for another several hours that Annie drew close to the Maria Waterfall. The waterfall was sacred to Kyojin. It was the one drinking hole where all differences were forced aside and the Kyojin all respected each other.

 

Legends said that before their enslavement, there was a wonderful summer festival held each year at the waterfall. All tribes would gather and all feuds would be put aside for the two weeklong event. Trading between tribes would commence, the children would play amongst one another and alliances would be made.

 

After the beginning of the enslavement the festival was forced to come to a halt. Very few living Kyojin had ever witnessed the festival with their own eyes; only through stories passed down from generation to generation. However, sometimes the Kyojin still visited the sacred site. It was the only waterfall that didn't dry up in the summer and freeze in the harsh winters. The flow of water remained constant just like the circle of life around them.

 

Legends also said that if the Waterfall were to freeze or run dry, all life on Titan would cease. The moons would become dark and the sun would not rise. Titan would fall into a pit of darkness.

 

While many legends varied from tribe to tribe, one legend remained constant no matter whom you talked to.

 

The legend was that the Caracals could forcibly halt the water. It was just one of an infinite of reasons the Caracals ruled over the Kyojin. The Caracals possessed the ultimate power. The legend spoke of the events that would occur if this happened. If they Caracals deemed it necessary, they could temporarily stop the flow of water resulting in a shift of power. The sun would set within an hour-if it was still up-and the moons would rise together.

 

 

The humans did not know that Titan had not one, not two, but four moons that took turns rising. Each moon affected the Kyojin in different ways. Sometimes it allowed the Canines to become stronger, sometimes it allowed the Felines to become more powerful, the Leporidae had their chance, and so did the Primates.

 

Thus, if all of the four moons rose together, this would allow for all four of the Kyojin Kingdoms to become their strongest. But with great power came great consequences.

 

The Kyojin healing would be greatly reduced while the moons were in the sky. Kyojin had the ability to heal from life threatening injuries in a matter of minutes sometimes even seconds depending on how powerful the Kyojin was. If this ability was taken away then the Kyojin faced a risk of a higher death toll.

 

It also made some Kyojin lose their humanity so to speak. While this was not ever proven to be true, some insist that it can result in the Kyojin becoming either temporarily or permanently feral. Permanently feral Kyojin were a danger to everyone and would have to be put down as quickly as possible for they could kill many innocent Kyojin.

 

And the biggest wives’ tale that most believe to be a myth was the possibility of losing of the heads of the tribes. The acting heads of each tribe would have to sacrifice themselves in order for this to happen.

 

Despite all of the myths and unknowns that surrounded the Maria Waterfall, the only Kyojin that knew what was fact and what was fiction was of course the Caracals. True to Caracal nature, they have never confirmed nor denied any of the wives’ tales. They may have snorted or shot looks of disbelief (which is why many Kyojin do not believe in the possibility of feral Kyojin and the loss of the tribe heads) but they never outright said anything about the myths.

 

Most Kyojin figured that they did this to protect the Kyojin. With great power comes great responsibility. The Leopards had once suggested that the Caracals didn’t even know how to stop the Maria Waterfall but they were quickly shut down by the other Kyojin (except the rabbits who were too busy panicking at the suggestion and therefore making fools of themselves to say anything).

 

However, the Caracals did say on many occasions that should they decide that it might be in the best interest of everyone to stop the Waterfall, they would discuss it with all the tribe heads.

 

Annie sincerely hoped that Levi was not planning to halt the river. But she also doubted that he would do such an arguably brash thing without good reason and a great deal of thought. He was known as the “Titan’s Strongest” and the fairest of the Kyojin Kings. Levi would not do something as powerful as halt the Waterfall without consulting the tribe heads first.

 

Reaching the Maria Waterfall, Annie took a long moment to stare at its beauty. Sure she had been here before but that was when she was small. It had seemed massive as a child and to her surprise it seemed just as massive now. The raging waterfall poured over the side of the Sacred Cliff and into a surprisingly peaceful pool below. The water was untouched by man and so clear that Annie could see the fish swimming in the pool below her.

 

Taking a deep breath, Annie dived into the pool making the fish part around her. She swam her way under the Waterfall and as soon as she cleared the raging water falling from above her, she swam to the surface to take a breath.

 

Annie treaded in a circle, looking for the rock wall Levi told her about. Once she spotted it, hidden behind vines, she pushed against the rocks. When nothing happened she growled. Of course it wouldn’t be easy. That’s when she noticed the fish below her.

 

Instead of them stopping at the rock wall in front of her, she noticed the fish were disappearing _into_ the wall. That’s when she realized she was supposed to enter the cave. She wasn’t supposed to move the rocks; she needed to swim under them!

 

Taking another breath and praying to any deity that would listen, Annie dove back under the water and followed the fish. She kicked her feet as fast as she could, her lungs screaming for oxygen until she was able to come to the surface again.

 

She took several gasping breaths just as figures fell from the sky. The Felines landed in a tight circle around her and pointed spears and her throat and heart.

 

“I’m not here to attack you,” She told them hoping they’d listen.

 

“How are we supposed to believe you?” One of the Caracals hissed.

 

“I’m a Leonhart.” She told them knowing they’d recognize the name. “I can’t lie to you even if I wanted to.”

 

The Caracals looked at her skeptically for a moment before they lowered their weapons. Annie breathed a small sigh of relief that they had listened to her before one of the Caracals stepped forward.

 

“You are a Leonhart?” He asked and Annie just nodded. “Why are you here?”

 

“I need to speak to your King and Queen.” She told them.

 

There was chatter among the Caracals that Annie could not understand. Caracals unlike other Kyojin had their own distinct language that was undecipherable to any other Kyojin tribe except for their close cousins the Panthers. Even then their cousins could barely translate for them.

 

“Very well,” The head of the warriors said after a moment. “Follow me.”

 

The cave was deeper than Annie expected. Though it was pitch dark, her eyes had no problem seeing. The walk was short but it was wet and Annie couldn’t wait to be dry again soon-though she had to admit that this was a great hiding spot for the Caracals. Felines did not like water and Nile’s cronies would not think to look for them behind a waterfall.

 

It wasn’t long before the group came to a halt. In front of her were steps leading up to a high platform with a single chair carved in stone resting on it. Annie figured this was probably where Levi would govern from if he were not with Eren.

 

“The King will be out shortly,” The head warrior said.

 

Annie nodded to him and waited. She could feel eyes on her from all angles but resisted the urge to hiss in discomfort. She was not in her own territory and the Caracals were an inquisitive species by nature. They were not trying to be creepy; they were just highly interested in their visitor.

 

Finally after what felt like hours, a figure appeared on the platform. The sandy brown Caracal spared her a single glance before settling into his chair. His ears were pointed in her direction meaning she had his full attention and his tail rested lazily on his lap showing he was at ease in her presence.

 

He wore no overly elegant clothing like the human king but rather the clothing of the nomads. He wore a gold colored tunic with the collar flipped up to cover the sides of his neck; not only was this fashionable but also practical. The collar obscured his neck from view which made it harder for enemies to hit him in the neck with weapons unless they were facing him head on, which was a near death sentence when faced with a Caracal-even a skilled one. He had brown pants with some beads around the ankles and the two gold cuffs wrapped around his biceps were the only extravagant pieces he wore.

 

“Hello,” He finally spoke a deep booming voice that reminded Annie of King Levi. “I hear you are Leonhart.”

 

“Yes,” She said simply.

 

“You must be Annie then,” The man continued. “Unless Makah had another cub I never knew of.”

 

“No, I am the only cub he has.” Annie confirmed.   


“I heard you were intercepted the humans when you were just a young kitten,” The King said, not in an accusing manner.

 

“I did,” Annie told him.

 

“Fascinating. What brings you here then?” The man asked her. “We are not easy to find.”

 

“No, you are not.” Annie agreed with him. “I was instructed on where to find you.”

 

“You were?” The man’s eyebrows rose slightly. “By whom? Very few know of this place.”

 

“Your father, King Levi.” Annie announced firmly. This was it; this was the moment they killed her and accused her of lying to them or they listened to her and she dearly hoped it was the latter.

 

“My father?” The King leaned forward in interest. “My father was taken by the humans.”

 

“I work in the castle that he is in,” Annie told the King, glad that he was at least interested in what she was saying. “He is the slave of the human, Prince Eren.”

 

“He allowed himself to become a slave?” The King’s eyes widened in shock. “I thought he would’ve died before he submitted.”

 

“The human Prince is different than all other humans I have ever met.” Annie explained. “He is kind and fair and vocal about his hatred for slavery. _Very_ vocal.”

 

“Is he now?” The King inquired. “I have heard rumors but did not think they had any substance to them. It is interesting to learn they may be more than just rumors. Tell me then, how is my father?”

 

“He is well,” Annie told him. She would answer any questions the King had because she would want the same if she were in his position. “Eren treats him fairly. Eren also knows that your father is the King. I suspect they both harbor romantic feelings for each other.”

 

“Interesting,” The King folded his fingers together and leaned back in his chair. “Did he send you here then?”

 

“Yes,” Annie nodded and reached into her pocket. When she did this, the Caracal soldiers around her jumped into action but to Annie’s relief the King raised a hand to stop them. “He gave me this for you to read.”

 

Annie cautiously approached the bottom of the stairs where the head warrior met her. He took the letter from her and gave it to the King. The King wasted no time in opening the letter and reading it.

 

He nodded and hummed a few times but his face remained unreadable; something he must have inherited from his father. After a minute he lowered the paper.

 

“Did my father give you a signal?” The King asked.

 

Annie let out her loudest roar, listening to it bounce off the walls of the cavern. She held eye contact with the King who hummed and nodded. He stood and walked towards Annie who backed up in surprise at his approach.

 

“Do not worry,” The King smiled at her. _Smiled_. “I am not going to hurt you. But I need you to follow me so I may write a response for my father.”

 

Annie did not say anything in reply; she just followed behind the man. They entered one of the cavern’s hidden bedrooms. The King’s room was shockingly simple. It had a bed made of soft fur and leaves on one side and a carved wooden table and chair against the other.

 

The King sat at his desk and began to write. Annie stood in the room and waited for the King to finish just observing him and the simplicity of his room. After a few minutes, he put down his charcoal pen and handed Annie a folded letter.

 

“You must go now,” The King instructed her with a sad smile. “Tell my father that we will be there and that I send my love.”

 

“I will.” Annie promised.

 

“I will be sure to tell your father that you are safe and healthy,” The King surprised Annie by saying as she turned to leave. “He misses you and I think it will bring him comfort to know that you are, at the very least, healthy. Dare I say happy?”

 

“Content would be a better word,” She smiled in thanks to the King. She could see why the Kyojin respected their King so much. They were not stuck up or mean, they were kind and generous and understanding. “Thank you, My King.”

 

“You are very welcome, Annie.” The King patted her softly on the shoulder. “Thank you for being brave enough to come here. I know it was not the safest thing to do but I promise that you will not regret your decision.”

 

“I hope so.” And with that, Annie set off on her long journey back to the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how's that monster for you? I wasn't joking when I said it was the longest chapter I've written thus far and the one that has the most information. It was a lot but I actually really like this chapter. It was kind of fun to write. Not a lot of dialogue but I did like getting to write more about the Caracals and why Levi's tribe is so important and powerful. They could really fuck shit up. Like shit could go down if they wanted it to lol. But they're not evil so things are safe lol. 
> 
> Also, there will be a side story uploaded for this chapter so look out for that in the next day or so. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think of this chapter!


	17. Getting the Ball Rolling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin sets the plan in motion. Levi self reflects. Annie returns. Eren complains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there isn't much to say about this chapter really (that and I don't have a lot of time but I wanted to put this up for you guys because I didn't have time this weekend and I know you all are anxious for another chapter). This chapter really speaks for itself really. 
> 
> Also, to avoid confusion: Anytime you see italics when Levi is talking with other Kyojin in this fic it means they're talking in the Kyojin language-not English. Just so everyone doesn't get confused. 
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 17

 

In the week that it took for Annie to return a great deal of preparations were made. Levi and Eren trained for hours every day trying to get him skilled enough to “at least not die or become maimed” as Levi put it.

 

Erwin, Mike and Armin began planning the meeting between the royals, Nile and themselves. They knew that Eren’s father would not be able to resist holding a banquet following the meeting and that would provide them the perfect opportunity to attack. No one would know it was coming.

 

Word began to spread among the Kyojin about a possible coup. This was mostly Armin’s doing. He told a few Kyojin about a coup he was planning knowing that they would go and tell their friends and so on.

 

“Kyojin are pack animals by nature,” Armin explained to Eren one time when he had asked why Armin took that specific approach. “ They have pack mentality. If they know that their fellow Kyojin are excited and willing to join a movement then they are significantly more likely to join said movement.”

 

Each individual Kyojin pledged to assist in any way they possibly could. Sasha, Connie and the other cooks pledged to put muscle-relaxing agents into the food so that the royals and Nile would be incapacitated as much as they could be at the time of the ambush.

 

Ymir and the blacksmiths set to work making weaponry for any Kyojin that was adept in hand to hand combat. These were mostly Feline and Ape Kyojin but several Canine Kyojin were heavily trained in archery and thus could assist from afar.

 

Even some of the most trusted knights were asked to assist in the coup. Knights like Reiner and Jean were among the trusted knights who pledged their assistance. Reiner especially was highly trusted among his fellow knights and knew which could be trusted. He along with Jean would approach these knights and convince them to help their cause. Eren wasn’t completely convinced that Jean did anything to help and even Levi admitted he thought that Reiner did most of the convincing.

 

Levi also played his part. He did this very discretely and to the point that almost no one knew what he was doing. Sure the Kyojin were aware that he was checking to see what their intentions were but not the humans. Levi, with Eren’s help, screened every human that they thought they could trust before they approached them to see how honest they really were when Eren talked about slavery with them.

 

As the days drug on, Levi was noticeably more restless. He wanted to know what Annie had been able to do. Had she been able to find his tribe? Had they listened? Did they say they would be able to help? He simply didn’t know. Levi did not like not knowing things he deemed highly important.

 

He would like to think that his children would spring at the opportunity to free their father if not the rest of the slaves. His youngest especially was always ranting about one day saving all the slaves and overthrowing the humans. Whether or not she lived up to her words, he would just have to wait and see. Hell, he didn’t even know who had taken over for him. It could go either way though he hoped it was his son and not his daughter. She was a bit brash and quick to jump to conclusions whereas his son was more level headed. The more he thought about it, the more he could see parallels between his daughter and Eren.

 

Both were determined to the point of being stubborn-stupidly so. The both had passion that burned behind their eyes and was reflected in everything they did. They both wore their heart on their sleeves. Hell, even their eyes were similar though Eren’s had much more blue in them than his daughter’s. While Levi admitted that his son was also like this to a degree, his son also had been able to push his stubbornness aside as he aged. This was something his daughter-and he suspected Eren too-would never do.

 

“Levi, you’re doing that weird spacing out thing again.” Eren said while waving his hand in front of Levi’s face.

 

Before he could react, Levi snagged one of Eren’s fingers in his mouth and playful nipped it before releasing it.

 

“OW! WHAT THE FUCK, LEVI?!” Eren cried as he cradled his hand to his chest. The look of pure betrayal was enough to make Levi laugh quietly.

 

“It’s not funny,” Eren pouted. “You have sharp teeth you know.”

 

“I know, I used to use them frequently to rip my food apart.” Levi said idly, stroking his tail with the tip his tongue peaking out of his mouth; the ultimate sign of content.

 

“Jerk,” Eren muttered under his breath.

 

“What’d you say, Brat?” Levi asked despite knowing exactly what he had said.

 

“Oh, nothing.” Eren shot Levi his best fake smile.

 

“That’s what I thought.” Levi smirked.

 

“What were you thinking about, anyway?” Eren asked.

 

“My family,” Levi answered honestly. There was not point in lying to Eren, he’d find out eventually. The kid was as persistent as he was kind.

 

“What about them?” Eren’s voice became softer at the mention of Levi’s family.

 

“Just wondering how they’re doing.” Levi shrugged. “Hoping that my son took my place and not my daughter.”

 

“Why?” Eren laughed a little.

 

“Because my daughter would charge everyone off a cliff trying to prove that it wasn’t a cliff. She’s a lot like you in that way-stubborn and determined. The two are not mutually exclusive.” Levi smiled at the memories of his spitfire daughter.

 

“What about your son?” Eren didn’t even try to defend himself. He knew he was stubborn and he proved it nearly every day.

 

“He’s a lot like Mikasa and Armin. He’s quiet and analytical. He looks at all sides before making a decision. That’s why I think he’d be a better king,” Levi explained. “He’d do his best to be as fair as he could. He does have a stubborn streak as well. Though, it’s not nearly as prevalent as his sister’s. They get it from their mother.”

 

“Tell me about her.” Eren said, taking a seat on the edge of his bed.

 

“Who?” Levi asked.

 

“Their mother.” Eren clarified.

 

“Her name was Petra. She had strawberry blonde hair and was a little infatuated with me. I knew she admired me but I didn’t think she was in love with me. It wasn’t until her father approached me that I really noticed how deeply she was infatuated with me.

 

“I had returned from a battle with a rival tribe who was encroaching on our territory a little bit too much. It was the Leopard tribe ironically. No losses or anything, which was good. Before I could even enter the cave we lived in her father came up to me and started talking about how he was getting old and wanted grand kittens. It freaked me out a little bit because I didn’t quite get what he was talking about. But then he mentioned how good of a pair Petra and I were.

 

“Because I’m more into dick than anything so I hadn’t really looked at her like that. But I had met all of the men in our tribe and I had no interest in any of them so I decided to give Petra a chance. I was more than aware that I needed to have an heir sooner rather than later and I had put it off long enough by that point. She was thrilled and I guess I was okay with it so it worked out. Even though I didn’t love her the same way she did me I tried to do my best to take care of her during and after her pregnancy.

 

“I was genuinely devastated when she was killed.” Levi said with a sad, far off look in his eyes. “She had become a good friend to me and I valued our friendship. She was also the mother of my kittens so I did have a huge soft spot in my heart for her and always will. It was hard to lose that. I promised her and myself that I would be the best father and pseudo-mother for our beautiful kittens that I could possibly be. I think I did okay and they grew up to be great Caracals and I can’t ask for much more than that.”

 

“I’m sure you were the best parent they could ever ask for.” Eren said coming up behind Levi to wrap his arms around him.

 

Over the past week, Levi and Eren’s relationship had grown by leaps and bounds. No longer was Levi denying their relationship and had come to accept his feelings for Eren. He had promised himself that he would never fall in love with a human but he couldn’t help himself with Eren. He may have found his soulmate in Eren.

 

Kyojin believed in soulmates. While you were free to mate with whomever you wanted, once you found the one that makes you lose interest in everyone else the two of you become exclusive. Breeding for the sake of population and mating were two very different things in Kyojin societies. It didn’t matter which type of Kyojin you asked, they all had the same respect and culture around soulmates.

 

Those who found their soulmates claimed that when you came together you would know if you had found your soulmate. Levi looked forward to the day he and Eren could come together as one so he too could see what it was like for himself. Levi never told Eren this of course because it was a little bit cheesy for Levi’s tastes and it was also not something that humans quite understood.

 

Shaking the thoughts out of his head before they could go any further, Levi turned in Eren’s arms to face him.

 

“We should probably get back to training,” Levi whispered. Talking in a normal voice seemed like it would be too loud all of the sudden. “I don’t want for you to get hurt when this all goes down.”

 

“Levi, we’ve been training all day today and yesterday and for the past week.” Eren groaned. “Let’s just relax for a moment. It won’t kill us.”

 

“I suppose,” Levi relented, knowing that Eren was right. They had been training all day every day for the past week. Levi claimed it was for Eren’s safety but he also knew deep down that it was also to keep himself occupied. So he allowed himself to be drug back to Eren’s room for a while to rest and relax before they would go back to training after the knights finished with their evening practices.  


They maneuvered their way to lie next to each other on Eren’s bed. In the past week, Levi had learned that Eren was a cuddler. Whenever they took a nap together Levi always woke up to Eren sprawled all over him. He didn’t mind it though. It made him feel safe which was not something Levi would’ve ever thought to ask for until he had it.

 

Lying on the bed, Levi rested his head on Eren’s chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat. His heart beat much slower than his own and Levi wondered if that contributed to humans’ lack of stamina. Levi’s heart beat almost twice as fast as Eren’s and he could run four times as long as the best human runner.

 

“So, what’ll happen after all this is over?” Eren asked as he played with a strand of Levi’s soft inky locks.

 

“What do you mean?” Levi hummed into Eren’s warm chest.

 

“Well, when this is all over and you’re free, what will you do?” Eren asked reluctantly.

 

“I’m not sure,” Levi said honestly. “I’ll have to go back to being King of course but I don’t know after that.”

 

“Do you think we even have the possibility of staying together?” Eren asked.

 

“Maybe,” Levi said understanding where Eren was going with his question. “I’d like to think so.”

 

“If you could, would you stay by my side?”

 

“And rule the humans?” Levi genuinely asked.

 

“Well, I could rule the humans and you could rule the Kyojin but we could do it together in the castle; side by side.” Eren suggested.

 

“I’d like that,” Levi yawned. Lying on the bed in Eren’s warm embrace was making Levi’s eyes heavy.

 

“Take a nap,” Eren suggested. “I’ll wake you in a little bit.”

 

“M’kay.” Levi hummed and let sleep overtake him.

 

 

An insistent pounding on the door woke Levi from his nap. Eren was already trying to gently untangle himself from Levi hoping that he wouldn’t wake him. But the knocking was too loud and Levi groaned which alerted Eren to Levi’s consciousness.

 

“Sorry,” Eren apologized sheepishly.

 

“Who's at the door?” Levi half growled in irritation.

 

“I’m not sure,” Eren said as he unlocked the door.

 

As soon as the door opened, Armin and Annie burst into the room. At the sight of Annie, any lingering sleepiness Levi may have had vanished. He sprung up in an instant and walked over to the blond pair.

 

“You’re back,” Levi greeted Annie who saluted to him.

 

“I am,” She said before reaching into the satchel she was carrying and producing a letter. “ _I found your tribe and gave them the message. They sent you a reply_.”

 

“ _Thank you_ ,” Levi breathed as he took the letter. He would have to read it later once Armin and Annie left. “ _Whom did you talk to?_ ”

 

“ _A man_ ,” Annie said. “ _He had sandy brown hair and was somewhat tall. He was very kind and he was happy to hear from you.”_  


“ _I’m glad to hear my son is in charge_ ,” Levi said but showed no emotion to the other Kyojin. “ _He will do an excellent job._ ”

  
“ _I believe so as well,_ ” Annie said honestly.

 

“ _Nile will be arriving in two days,_ ”Armin interrupted and looked at Levi. “ _That means we have two days to get everything prepared. Do you think that you can be ready by then?_ ”

 

“ _Yes,_ ” Levi answered. “ _Eren is more than ready with his training and I believe the castle’s Kyojin are more than ready to get this going._ ”

 

“ _Do you think your tribe will be able to get everything in order in two days?_ ” Armin said seriously.

 

“ _Yes,_ ” Levi said honestly. “ _I think that they will be able to pull everything together by then. If I know my son, he’s already got everything together and is waiting to be called.”_

 

“ _Good_.” Armin nodded. “ _Annie and I need to report to Erwin now. We’ll meet up with you tomorrow to discuss our strategy._ ”

 

“ _Sounds good_.” Levi nodded and watched the Kyojin leave.

 

“I’m so glad I was included in this conversation.” Eren grumbled and rolled his eyes after the two blond Kyojin had left.

 

“They were discussing strategy and coordinating our attack,” Levi told him. “You don’t need to be a part of that.”

 

“Levi, I am a part of this whole operation,” Eren pointed out. “I should be a part of those conversations too.”

 

“Yes, but you are not trying to get everyone on the same page. You are going to be at a banquet waiting for us to launch our attack.” Levi informed him. “You are not going to be giving any signals or timing anything.”

 

“I suppose not,” Eren frowned.

 

“No one is trying to leave you out, Eren.” Levi sighed and approached his mate. “You are very much a part of this but we were discussing things like timing and getting everyone on the same page.”

 

“I know. I just hate to feel useless.” Eren admitted.

 

“You’re not useless,” Levi told the man. “You are the opposite of useless. Without you, we would never be able to pull this off.”

 

“You think so?” Eren’s eyes gleamed with a little bit of hope.

 

Levi offered Eren a genuine smile and said, “I know so.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the title says, this is basically getting the ball rolling. We're almost at the end people! I can't believe it T_T
> 
> I have a side story for this chapter I'll try to post soon. Also, I hope you all like paternal Levi. I figured his character in this story would be pretty paternal so it only made sense to me. 
> 
> Also thank you all so much for the 100 kudos. I know that it's not much but for the speed of my updating and how short this story is compared to others, I am so thankful and excited! I'm not a "major" author so every kudo matters to me (not saying it doesn't to all authors but you get my point). 
> 
> Let me know what you think!!!


	18. The Calm Before The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi have a disagreement. Levi self reflects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there!! So first off, thank you all so much for the kudos! I still can't believe that this fic has been so well received!! 
> 
> So this chapter actually ended up being split in half. Originally, it was the part I'm posting right now and then the next chapter put together. But after doing some heavy editing the chapter jumped from 3,000 words to nearly 6,000 and nearly 30 pages long. So, in order to keep the chapter from being too long (and because I have a metaphorical boner for cliffhangers) I broke it into two separate chapters. I think once you read the next chapter you'll get why I did that. 
> 
> This chapter is pretty well titled and self explanatory. The parts with italics is a memory Levi is having just so none of you get confused. Eren did not suddenly learn Kyojin (he's not that talented) and it wasn't a mistake. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy. 
> 
> Also, you're welcome.

Chapter 18

 

Two days flew by. Before Eren could even blink, Nile and his cronies had arrived at the castle. Eren hated each and every one of them but he had an act he needed to play and so he forced a smile and pretended not to care.

 

He did however almost blow his act when he saw Kenny. Kenny gave Eren the most disgusting grin once he saw him and Levi. Eren imagined slim dripping from his mouth when he smiled. He was so disgusted with the man.

 

Kenny greeted them like they were somehow old friends and eyed Levi up and down as though he was checking him out sexually. Levi managed to act as though the sight of Kenny eyeing him did not make him was to strangle the man. Kenny made some snide comment about Eren managing to tame Levi somehow and went to greet Eren’s father. By the end of the whole ordeal, Eren’s hands were almost bleeding where his nails were digging into his palms.

 

The meeting went as smoothly as Eren could hope. He mostly tuned Erwin out as the group discussed possible hide outs for other Kyojin tribes and Eren was impressed that Erwin somehow managed to convince Nile that they should check the opposite side of the island from where Levi’s tribe actually was.

 

Eren was more than relieved when the meeting was finished. He hurried to his room with Levi following right behind him to change into more formal but comfortable clothing. He had Bert and his sewing skills to thank for that. Bert was able to sew him clothing that allowed him to move freely but also looked formal enough for a banquet.

 

“So, what is our signal?” Eren asked Levi as they both changed. It took every ounce of self control for Eren not to ogle the Kyojin’s pert ass.

 

“You’ll know it when you hear it,” Levi said as he hid another dagger into his pants.

 

“’Cause that’s not cryptic as fuck.” Eren scoffed.

 

“It won’t seem cryptic when it happens, believe me.” Levi smirked at his somewhat pouting mate.

 

They had mated the night before for the first time. Levi couldn’t begin to describe how wonderful it felt to couple with Eren.

 

* * *

 

_Levi, what if we die tomorrow?” Eren had asked the Kyojin the previous evening._

_“Why the ever loving fuck would you say that, Eren?” Levi growled at the mention of Eren dying._

_“Because I’m trying to be realistic.” Eren told him. “I’m not as skilled as you are and a lot of the people we will be fighting are going to be extremely well trained fighters. It’s literally all they’ve been doing their entire lives.”_

_“Well, it’s all I’ve been doing my entire life too.” Levi said. “So we have nothing to worry about.”_

_“Levi, you aren’t seriously suggesting that you’re going to spend the entire time protecting me are you?” Eren’s eyebrows furrowed._

_“What if I am?” Levi challenged._

_“You can’t possibly do that!” Eren argued. “They’re-_ we’re _\- going to need you to fight! You can’t be my bodyguard.”_

_“I can fight and protect you at the same time, Eren.” Levi sighed._

_“No you can’t.” Eren disputed. “What if you I’m about to be attacked but so is your child? Then what do you do?”_

_“My kittens can take care of themselves,” Levi disputed. “So obviously I’d save you.”_

_“Levi,” Eren sighed in frustration. “You aren’t seeing my point.”_

_“I am seeing your point perfectly well, thank you.” Levi quipped._

_“Then why are we having this conversation in the first place?” Eren challenged Levi._

_“Because your safety is what matters the most to me. If you hadn’t insisted on being here in the first place otherwise I wouldn’t have you go!” Levi told him._

_“Watch it Levi,” Eren snorted. “Someone might think you care for me.”_

_“I do you monumental dumbass!” Levi growled at him._

_It took a moment for Levi to realize the weight of his words. He had literally just confessed that he had feelings for Eren that went beyond friendship. While he had admitted it to himself a long time ago, he had never told Eren how he really felt. He figured that after tomorrow it wouldn’t matter anyway._

_Judging by Eren’s huge eyes and slightly parted mouth, Eren wasn’t expecting Levi’s response either. Eren was oblivious to all things romantic so Levi didn’t doubt that Eren had never realized all of the passes Levi made or all of the other signs he gave Eren that he harbored feelings for him._

_“You_ like _me?” Eren blinked at the Kyojin._

_  
“Yes,” Levi admitted to Eren. His tail swayed nervously behind him and his ears lay sideways against his head. “Not that it matters after tonight.”_

_“It matters now though,” Eren told him as he slowly inched forwards._

_Levi made no moves to stop the human. He could smell Eren’s intent a mile away and he couldn’t find it in himself to stop the man either. He had wanted this for a long time and even if it was only for one night, Levi was going to pretend that it was forever._

_“Levi,” Eren said softly when he stopped in front of him. “I’m going to kiss you now.”_

_“Okay,” Levi nodded._

_Levi hadn’t expected Eren to give him a sweet, chaste kiss and he was glad that Eren didn’t. The kiss was fiery and passionate. Soft lips moved against each other while Eren’s tongue wormed its way between his. While their tongues danced together, Levi twisted his hands in Eren’s soft brown locks._

_Neither Eren nor Levi realized that Eren was inching them backwards until Levi fell on Eren’s bed with Eren catching himself on his forearms above him. They lay panting while the looked into each other’s eyes._

_“Levi,” Eren panted above the Kyojin. “If you don’t tell me to stop now I don’t think I’ll be able to.”_

_“What if I don’t want you to stop?” Levi enticed him._

_“God,” Eren groaned before his mouth descended on Levi’s again. This kiss was just as passionate as the last. After a moment, Levi felt Eren’s hips grind against his. Acting purely off instinct Levi pressed his hips into Eren’s._

_Eren’s hands began to slide up and down his body leaving a trail of fire behind them. Levi whimpered as his erection strained against his pajama pants and he ached for Eren to hurry._

_“Can I take this off?” Eren asked as he reached the hem of Levi’s shirt._

_“Yes!” Levi said eagerly, glad that things were finally progressing in the direction he wanted them to._

_Eren wasted no time ripping Levi’s shirt off over his head before doing the same to his. Eren spent a moment admiring the Kyojin below him. Levi’s hair was slayed across the pillow, his hands twisted in the sheets, his milky skin tempted him to mark it but the pink nipples drew Eren’s attention. He bent down and latched on to one with his mouth while he rolled the other between his fingers._

_“Gods, Eren!” Levi moaned loudly as his back arched._

_After giving a few more hard sucks, Eren turned his attention to the other nipple and gave it the same treatment before he sucked his way down Levi’s muscular chest and abdomen._

_“How the hell did you learn to be so good at this?!” Levi whimpered as Eren reached the hem of his pants._

_“Don’t know,” Eren shrugged as he peered at Levi through his eyelashes. “Just doing what feels right.”_

_“Well keeping doing it.” Levi encouraged him by lifting his hips off the bed. Eren didn’t need to be told twice and pulled the Kyojin’s pants down his strong legs and threw them to the ground._

_“Damn,” Eren breathed as he took in Levi’s naked body._

_“Stop looking at me like that,” Levi complained and avoided eye contact._

_“I knew you were hot but I didn’t realize you were this hot.” Eren told him._

_“Eren_ do something _!” Levi said impatiently._

_“Okay, okay.” Eren laughed as he reached out to take hold of Levi’s weeping erection. “This what you wanted?”_

_“Yes,” Levi hissed and thrusted in time with Eren’s strokes. “You need to take off the rest of your clothes. I don't want to be the only naked one here.”_

_“No problem.” Eren laughed when Levi frowned in disappointment when Eren let go of him in order to take off his pants and underwear. “This what you wanted, Levi?”_

_“Hell yes,” Levi smiled widely and pushed Eren to the bed effectively switching their positions. “You aren’t the only one who can have fun.”_

_Before Eren could ask what Levi meant, Levi took Eren’s erection into his mouth. He sucked the tip eagerly before slowly taking more and more of Eren’s erection into his mouth. After a few moments Levi had taken Eren’s erection all the way to the hilt._  
  


_“Fuck!” Eren groaned at the sight of Levi eagerly sucking at his erection. “If you don’t slow down I’m going to cum.”_

_“Isn’t that the point?” Levi teased him after letting go of Eren’s erection._

_“I’d much rather cum in you.” Eren told him with blazing green eyes as he rolled Levi back onto his back. Levi was more that happy to submit to Eren’s advances. Hell, it turned him on when Eren got dominate like this._

_“Oh?” Levi smirked. “You better get this show on the road then.”_

_Eren reached into one of the bedside tables and pulled out a tube of lotion. While Levi wanted to know if that had always been there or if Eren had planned this, he opted not to in fear of ruining the mood. Instead he lay all the way back and spread his legs wide for Eren._

_Eren let out a groan at the obvious display that Levi was putting on. He quickly coated his fingers in lotion before positioning his index finger at Levi’s hole. After receiving a nod from Levi, he pushed the first finger in._  
  


_“Oh God, it’s so tight!” Eren exclaimed as he pumped his finger in and out._

_“Well it’s been a long time.” Levi grunted as he pushed back against Eren’s finger. “Add another.”_

_“Let’s not talk about previous partners right now.” Eren scowled but complied with Levi’s request._  
  


_“I wasn’t talking about other guys,” Levi chuckled before he let out a loud moan as Eren added a third finger. “I was talking about myself.”_

_“You finger yourself?” Eren asked and curled his fingers looking for that spot that he knew would set Levi on fire._

_“Yeah, sometimes.” Levi said honestly before his back bowed and he let out a loud moan. “There! Right there!”_

_Eren continued to assault Levi’s prostate for a few more moments before he pulled his fingers out. Levi groaned at the loss but when he looked between his legs he was pleased to see that Eren was stroking lotion on his arousal._

_After a few strokes, Eren turned back to Levi who spread his legs impossibly wider for Eren. Eren lined his cock up with Levi’s stretched and ready hole before looking into Levi’s eyes._

_“Here goes nothing,” Eren muttered._  
  


_“That is not something you should say before you_ ah _-“ Levi’s complaint was cut off by his moan of pleasure when Eren slowly began to push into Levi._

_He waited a few moments for Levi to adjust before he began to thrust into him. It felt so good to be intimate with the Kyojin. He had pined after Levi for so long and now here they were coming together._

_“Feels good,” Levi moaned in his ear._

_“Yeah? You like that?” Eren asked the feline in his ear._

_Levi could only nod as he continued to let out loud moans and groans. Eren continued to thrust at different angles before he decided to lift Levi’s legs onto his shoulders. This position was much better as it allowed him to thrust in deeper. Judging by Levi’s groans, he’d have to say the other man agreed._

_After a few more thrusts, Eren finally found Levi’s prostate. Levi let out a scream of bliss when Eren thrust against the sensitive bundle of nerves. His eyes flew open and his fingers racked along Eren’s back leaving scratch marks in the wake._

_Levi was the first to fall over the edge. He let out one last loud scream of Eren’s name before he shot white streaks of cum between the two of them. Watching Levi orgasm was enough to send Eren into his own orgasm, shooting deep into his partner._

_Once they had both come to their senses, Eren rolled off of Levi. Levi wrinkled his nose at the feeling of Eren’s cum slowly dribbling out of his thoroughly fucked hole but was too tired to care._

_After a few more minutes of recovering, Eren stood up and made his way to the bathroom. Levi heard the water running before Eren came back with a towel and wiped Levi’s stomach off and then his own before throwing it into the laundry and settling back into bed._

_“So, did I do a good job?” Eren asked cheekily after a few minutes._  
  


_“Brat,” Levi laughed and rolled to lay his head on Eren’s chest._

_“Is that a yes?”_

_“That’s a ‘go to sleep and stop asking stupid questions’.” Levi snorted._  
  


_“So, yes.” Eren laughed._

_“_ Good night, _Eren.” Levi said sternly._

_“’Night Levi.” Eren yawned and closed his eyes._

_Twas a good night indeed._

* * *

 

 

“Levi, you okay?” Eren asked bringing Levi back to the present.

 

“Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking of what’ll be like to be free again.” Levi lied. He didn’t feel like explaining to Eren that he was remembering their mating. The kid already had an inflated ego.

 

“I’m looking forward to setting you free.” Eren smiled and hugged his mate. “I can’t wait to rule along side of you instead of over you.”  


“Me as well,” Levi smiled up at Eren before giving him a light kiss. “We need to get going, the banquet is starting soon.”

 

“Alright,” Eren sighed. “Levi, if anything goes wrong-“

 

“Nothing is going to go wrong, Eren.” Levi cut him off. “We had this conversation last night.”

 

“No, listen to me.” Eren said firmly. He rarely talked that way but he wanted Levi’s full attention. “If something goes wrong I want you to save yourself. Don’t worry about me, okay? I need you to get back to your family. You can stop my father but I alone am not going to be strong enough. I don’t have an army backing me but you do. You can stop him.”

 

“Eren,” Levi said wide eyed. “Don’t talk like that. Nothing is going to happen. We are going to be fine and we are going to win.”

 

“I sure hope you’re right,” Eren smiled sadly at the man he loved.

 

“Trust me,” Levi said with conviction. “I have several tricks up my sleeve that I intend to use tonight.”

 

“I do trust you,” Eren said with a smile. “I trust you with my life.”

 

“Good,” Levi nodded. “Then let’s get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of you were curious about any smut and I told you all to wait. All good things come in due time young grasshoppers (Note: "Young grasshopper" is a saying so please don't take personal offense because you don't consider yourself young. I don't know when you all were born so don't attack me. I will and have deleted your comments. Kiss my ass.) 
> 
> I suck at writing smut so that took me FOREVER to write in. It wasn't originally there but I decided after uploading five chapters or so that I was gonna add some smut into this. I suck massive balls (LOL) at writing smut so I challenged myself. Hope it was at least decent. 
> 
> Two more chapters to go guys T_T I know I said it last time but I wasn't planning for this chapter to be so long.


	19. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit goes down. Enough said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I update again! Make sure you read the last chapter. I spaced out the updates by about 24 hours so that everyone could get a chance to read the last chapter without accidentally skipping ahead. 
> 
> So we are at the end essentially. There's one more chapter after this and then we're done! I can't believe it's already over T_T But this is the second longest chapter and the most intense chapter in my opinion. Like smut, I have a hard time writing any fight/action scenes so hopefully this isn't total shit. I tried man and I edited this like five or six times when I mostly edit once or twice. 
> 
> Also there is one part where it *should* be either highlighted or underlined. Click on that because it'll take you to a link that shows what I'm attempting to explain lol. That call is basically impossible to explain through words XD I tried my best. 
> 
> Also, if you haven't read my explanation chapters (which is fine) then I should note that cougars have several different names depending on where you live. While the correct term scientifically is cougar they are also often referred to as: 
> 
> Mountain Lions (Mostly PNW and East Coast)  
> Puma  
> Panther (sort of, not really but I've heard it used INCORRECTLY to describe a cougar)  
> Catamount 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this chapter!!!

Chapter 19

 

The banquet seemed like any other that his father had thrown-at least to someone who didn’t know what the night had in store.

 

The royals were being prissy as ever; throwing dignified insults at each other in the form of compliments, treating their Kyojin like scum and being overall unbearable. Eren couldn’t wait to get rid of them.

 

For what it was worth, all the Kyojin were perfectly behaved. None of them let on that anything was out of the ordinary. They were silent for the most part; using body language to talk amongst themselves without being detected while their masters schmoozed.

 

Eren was surprised to see Hanji at the banquet. She typically avoided them using excuses like tending to her patients and prepping for surgeries to get out of them. But today she was present and currently scaring off the royals by talking about illnesses and body parts. It made Eren laugh to watch her scare them off one by one. Typical Hanji.

 

Eren avoided the food like the plague. He knew that there were muscle relaxers slipped into the food and he didn’t want to become compromised. He wanted to be the one to take down his father and needed all his muscles to do so. But for what it was worth, the food looked amazing.

 

Around nine o’clock the atmosphere began to change. It was subtle and Eren suspected the only people that noticed were the Kyojin, Hanji, Erwin and himself. He noticed that the sky was brighter than it typically was and the moon that he could see out the window appeared to be much larger than normal.

 

“Look how beautiful the moon is,” One lady commented in her obnoxious nasally voice. “I feel as though I could reach out and touch it.”

 

“Look!” Another lady pointed out. “There are two moons in the sky!”

 

“Since when has there been two moons?” Another commented.

 

Eren looked briefly at Levi for explanation. Levi shook his head at Eren, which Eren knew meant he would tell him later but not to ask now.

 

“How strange,” Kenny said in Eren’s ear. “I’ve never seen more than one moon before.”

 

“Neither have I.” Eren said through a tight jaw. “It’s quite a phenomenon.”

 

“You know,” Kenny said as he came to stand before Eren. “The Kyojin have a story talking about multiple moons.”

 

“I have heard this story,” A new, deeper voice said. Eren immediately recognized the polite but firm voice as belonging to none other than Commander Erwin Smith. “But I’ve been assured by many Kyojin I work with that this is just a story.”

 

“I don’t know,” Kenny sneered at Erwin. “The fact that there are now three moons in the sky may prove the story is real.”

 

“Three moons hardly means anything.” Hanji’s loud voice called as she came to stand on either side of Eren and Kenny. “This is just a natural phenomenon.”

 

“Doubt it.” Kenny scoffed. “They say that each moon makes each type of Kyojin more powerful. If all four of them are in the sky then all four types are at their most powerful right now.”

 

Eren could see Levi’s gently swaying tail go rigid behind him out of the corner of his eye. It was a discrete almost unnoticeable change but it was enough to let Eren know that what Kenny was saying had some fact to it.

 

“That’s a little bit much don’t you think?” Erwin said with a handsome smile.

 

“We’ll see,” Kenny said and stalked off to find his next victim.

 

“Is what he was saying true?” Eren whispered his question to Hanji and Erwin while keeping a smile plastered to his face.

 

“Yes,” Hanji said and laughed to keep up the façade. “But all four of the moons rotate and have never been in the sky at once. Levi will have to explain that to me later.”

 

“Armin told me a little bit of what is happening.” Erwin said. “He told me that the Caracals are able to call upon their spirits to help the Kyojin become the most powerful they’ve ever been. There’s some drawbacks but he didn’t go into detail about those.”

 

“The drawbacks do not matter,” Levi whispered without moving his lips. “Let me and my tribe worry about those.”

 

“Levi,” Eren said without looking behind him. “Promise me you aren’t doing something stupid.”

 

“I’m not,” Levi said with conviction.

 

“You know, I’ve seen the Caracals in action before,” Erwin changed the subject as his eyes flinted around the room.

 

“Really? When?” Eren asked.

 

“A long time ago,” Erwin told him with a smile. “I was new in the military and my father sent me on a mission. We somehow ended up in an avalanche and most of my team died because of it. Hanji and I almost died as well but Levi saved us.”

 

“Levi?” Eren asked incredulously and heard Levi let out a quiet groan of disapproval behind him.

 

“Yes, he found us on the brink of death and chose to save the two of us.” Erwin smiled a genuine smile. “He and his clan nursed Hanji and I back to health and then let us both go on the condition that we would help them by leading the military away from them.”

 

“So you guys and Levi go way back then?” Eren said.   


“Yes,” Erwin nodded. “I was deeply saddened to learn about his capture.”

 

“Guys, I suggest you find somewhere to duck under.” Levi said quietly.   


 

Eren, Hanji and Erwin swiftly dispersed but were careful not to move fast enough to spark suspicion. They went to opposite sides of the room so that no one would notice them moving as casually as possible. As soon as Eren was far away from the windows, he saw Levi in a way he never saw him before.

 

Levi stood tall and proud like he had when he was talking to Annie a week and a half ago. When he stood up, the other Kyojin in the room turned their undivided attention on Levi. Some of the humans even looked at him. Levi’s pupils widened in true Caracal fashion and his ears fell back flat against his head. He surveyed the room quickly and then let out a [terrifying sound](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ49jtlz_3I).

 

To say that it was the loudest sound Eren had ever heard in his life would be an understatement. There were no words that could describe the sound coming from Levi. The only thing Eren could compare it to would be a scream. But it was more than that. It sounded like a thousand screams at once. The sound reverberated and you could hear the pitch changes as he continued. The sound was so loud it broke the glasses and the windows.

 

Once the sound had stopped, the doors to the dining room flew open and all of the Kyojin that were not required to be at the banquet charged forward with their weapons drawn. Eren saw knights like Jean and Reiner standing among his Kyojin friends like Sasha, Connie, Ymir and even nervous Bert.

 

“This is a coup.” Levi said loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. His voice held the authority of a thousand kings and it echoed in the silence without Levi needing to raise his voice. “You can choose to surrender now or fight to the death. I assure you that if you choose not to surrender you will regret your decision.”

 

“Why should we surrender to you-a Kyojin!” One snobby royal called.

 

“Because,” Levi turned his terrifying gaze onto the lady that spoke. “I. Will. Kill. You.”

 

And that’s when things erupted into utter and complete chaos.

 

Kenny, who had been crouched on the ground leaped forward, dagger in hand and aimed for Levi. Levi didn’t even glance his direction before pulling out his own dagger and blocking the attack.

 

“I was hoping you would do that,” Levi smiled menacingly at Kenny whose eyes widened at the murderous look of satisfaction on Levi’s face.

 

Kenny and Nile’s cronies had decided to follow their boss’ lead and began to try to attack Levi. Before they could get very far the other Kyojin jumped in to help. The sound of metal on metal echoed through the room and screams of injured humans began to accompany them.

 

More cronies burst into the room at the sounds of screaming but before they could get any further, Kyojin that Eren had never seen before came flying through the windows.

 

They were all different types of Kyojin. Feline, Canine, Primates, and Leporidae. They were all dressed differently and clearly came from all over Titan but that did not seem to matter.

 

While the palace had many Kyojin, Eren had never seen so many in his life and they were all wild. Immediately the largest Leopridae found their way to Bert, the Primates wasted no time seeking out Ymir and Canines that closely resembled Armin rushed to assist him.

 

Eren was not prepared for the sheer number of Felines that burst into the room last. He recognized some Feline tribes easily. There were lions- the males had large beards and long blond hair. The Cougars were easy to spot as well. Levi had once told him that Cougars looked a lot like Caracals and he was right. While the Cougars were larger than most of the Caracals, the dark markings on their eyes and the consistent brown fur helped him pick them out among the crowd. Of course the Panthers were also easy to spot because they mostly looked like Mikasa. And then there was the Caracals.

 

They had the largest population out of any of the tribes. Eren figured this was probably because they were the hardest to find and thus capture. They had the clothing that Levi had explained to him. Long tunics varied in color with dark pants that looked similar to those that slaves wore and of course, they had bare feet. They all had the same dark markings Levi had but he noticed that Levi was the only black Caracal. He made a mental note to ask Levi about that later.

 

Just when Eren thought all the Kyojin had arrived, two more flew in behind the rest. These two were dressed slightly different that the others-even the other Caracals. They had the same nomadic clothing that Eren attributed to the Caracal tribe but had gold bands wrapped around their biceps and the female Caracal had a gold crown braided into her red hair.

 

The moment their feet touched the ground bot Caracal crouched low and let out the same scream that Levi had but in unison. While theirs was louder, Levi’s was much more terrifying. Levi’s scream chilled you to the bone.

 

Once they finished they ran towards Levi and wasted no time standing back to back with each other, creating a circle. Eren stood in awe as he watched the fight for a moment. The way the three moved made Eren realize that these two could be none other than Levi’s children. But before Eren could truly dwell on it, movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

 

“No!” Eren shouted as he saw his father run out of the room.

 

Eren immediately followed his father since everyone else was too busy with the enemies in front of them to notice that the King had been slowly and quietly sneaking away. Eren chased his father down the hall and into the throne room.

 

“This ends here, Father.” Eren said as he came up behind the man.

 

“I should’ve known that you were behind this.” His father spat as he turned to face him.

 

“I couldn’t let your reign of terror continue.” Eren told him. “You weren’t going to stop so I had to stop you myself. You left me no choice.”

 

“Foolish boy,” His father scoffed. “ _You’ve_ left _me_ no choice.”

 

Before Eren could ask his father what he meant, the King lunged forward with his blade in hand. Thanks to all of Levi’s training, Eren quickly dodged his father’s advances and grabbed for his own blade tucked in his pants.

 

“It doesn’t have to end this way,” Eren reasoned with his father as he continued to avoid his attacks. “You can just surrender.”

 

“I will never surrender!” His father hissed and lunged again, missing Eren’s left arm. “I can’t believe that I have failed. I was so excited to have a son but all you’ve become is a monumental disappointment.”

 

“Maybe in your eyes,” Eren hissed at the insult as he ducked. “But I am not a disappointment to the thousands of Kyojin I am going to free when I _win_!”

 

Before Eren could think, his father lunged at him dead on. Eren didn’t have enough time to evade the attack like he had been and he closed his eyes as he prepared for the pain he when his father’s sword pierced his skin.

 

Instead, he heard a sickening crunch in front of him. Opening his eyes, Eren watched as his father crumpled to the ground with a dagger in his back. Eren looked up with wide eyes to see Levi walking towards him.

 

“Normally I’d say I’m sorry but I’m not.” Levi shrugged. “He was about to kill you and I told you I wouldn’t let that happen. I don’t go back on my word.”

 

“Thank you,” Eren breathed as Levi approached him. “You saved my life.”

 

“Consider it my payback for saving mine.” Levi grinned as Eren hugged him.

 

Before either of them could enjoy the moment Levi looked over Eren’s shoulders and his eyes widened is shock and fear.

 

“Eren-“ Levi gasped in his ear trying to warn his mate.

 

But it did no good; Eren heard a loud _bang!_ accompanied by excruciating pain. He crumpled to the ground gasping for air. He had never felt anything like this.

 

“You bastard!” Levi shouted before letting out one of his Caracal screams.

 

“Did you really think that this would really work?” Eren heard Kenny laugh. “Did you really think you’d win? Sure, you killed the king but it’ll do no good if there’s no prince to take the throne.”

 

“I’ll kill you!” Levi growled deep in his chest.

 

“Now, now,” Kenny sang. “You wouldn’t want to get shot in the heart too would you?”

 

“Levi-“ Eren gasped. He didn’t want Levi to be shot. He needed Levi to live but he couldn’t talk. It felt as though he was drowning.

 

Before either man could engage each other further, there was a loud shout followed by another _bang!_ The sound of bodies hitting the floor made Eren open his heavy eyes. It was so hard to stay awake. All he wanted to do was take a nap. Maybe a nap would help ease the pain.

 

“Isabel!” Levi cried out in horror.

 

Isabel? He hadn’t heard that name before. But judging by the tone of Levi’s voice he assumed that Isabel was Levi’s daughter’s name. Why was he screaming out for her?

Eren felt Levi lower him to the ground before Levi’s presence left his side. Eren wasn’t mad though. If Levi’s daughter had been hurt he’d want Levi to go be with her.

 

It seemed like an eternity before he heard footsteps thundering into the room. He didn’t have the energy to open his eyes to see who had come in but he still listened.

 

“Dad,” A deep voice-but not as deep as Levi’s-said in distress. “She’s gone Dad.”

 

“No,” Levi sobbed. “My baby!”

 

“Dad, she’s gone!” The voice said again. “But Eren’s not! He’s still here, Dad.”

 

More footsteps sounded before he felt someone lift his body up. He let out a weak whimper of pain at being moved. Why couldn’t they just let him sleep in peace? Why was that so damn hard to ask for?

 

“Eren!” Levi cried. Hearing Levi’s voice made Eren’s irritation diminish. He couldn’t be mad if Levi was keeping him awake.

 

Tears hit Eren’s cheek and he wanted nothing more than to tell Levi to stop crying. Levi shouldn’t cry.

 

“Eren you need to stay awake for me. HELP!” Levi shouted at the top of his lungs.

 

Eren wanted to stay awake. He wanted to comfort Levi and tell him everything was going to be okay but he just didn’t have the strength to do it. He tried but ultimately failed.

 

“Hanji!” Levi screamed as more footsteps ran into the room. There must’ve been a lot of people in the room by that point.

 

“Hanji, he’s been shot!” The young voice from earlier explained in earnest.

 

“Eren!” Hanji called to him from far away. “Eren, wake up!”

 

But he couldn’t. He was glad that they won though. His father was no longer able to dictate the Kyojin any longer and that’s what truly mattered. With his father gone, Levi and the other Kyojin were free and that’s all Eren ever wanted. That was his only real goal to begin with. Him living and building a life with Levi was just side dreams that he held on to.

 

“Eren,” Levi cried out to him from far away. “I love you, Eren.”

 

 _“I love you, too. I’m sorry I couldn’t see you be free.”_ Eren tried to say as everything faded to black.

 

_“Please be happy.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. 
> 
> I am about to get so much hate mail 0.o


	20. さよならひとり

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five Years Later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is! The final chapter! First of all, thank you to everyone who took the time to read and enjoy this fic!! I honestly didn't know so many people were going to enjoy this fic so much! It really started out as a fic I wrote a long time ago but was total shit so I took it off of AO3. But my friend asked me to give it some rebooting. So after a lot of rebooting, rewriting and editing, I posted the first chapter and things just kind of went from there! I am so grateful to everyone who took the time to read this and enjoy it with me! Thank you! 
> 
> This is also my first completed fan fic on AO3 :D I have others but I'm not done with those yet (they are next). This is certainly not going to be my last fic either, so keep your eyes peeled for my next fics. 
> 
> Okay enough of that! Please enjoy this final ( T_T) installment of my fic.

Epilogue

Five Years Later

 

It was a sunny June day on Titan but that did not help lift the mood. Today was marked as “Heroes Day”. On this day every year all the Kyojin (and some humans) gathered together to remember the lives lost on the fateful night that the King was killed. While many humans argued that it should be a day of festivities and celebrations for the Kyojin, the Kyojin did not agree.

 

Sure, they had finally been freed after generations of enslavement but that did not replace the fact that they had lost many of their friends and family members in order to be free again. The whole situation left many of them with sadness in their hearts.

 

And this was how Levi found himself leading the tribes into the sacred “Heroes Graveyard”.

 

The graveyard was constructed very shortly after the battle. It was a place where the heroes of the battle would be laid to rest. This included the ones that survived. The graveyard was massive-nearly the size of a small village. There were various statues and plaques set up around with the names of key players in the battle.

 

The graveyard was also broken into sections each belonging to the individual types of Kyojin. Within those sections were subsections for each tribe. This not only made it easier to find a specific Kyojin but it also allowed them to be honored with their fellow tribe members.

 

Each section was marked by huge gated golden arches with pictures of the type of Kyojin welded into them. They had different colored flowers that weaved their way up and over the arches. At the top of the arches were the names of the Kyojin type written in both human and Kyojin. The gates opened up to a small courtyard with a statue in the middle. The statues were of an especially vital person that was involved in the orchestration of the battle. Their names were carved into the base of the statue along with a small blurb about why they were important. In the Canine courtyard, the statue was of Armin. The Ape was of Ymir. The Leporidae had Bert.

 

Levi led the Felines into their section stopping briefly to look at his own statue. The name printed under his statue read “Kyojin King Levi ‘The Fair’ of the Caracal”. Despite the mood of the day, he did take a small satisfaction that his statue was portrayed to at least be of decent height.

 

Levi walked into his tribe’s section. While they had significantly less headstones than any other tribe, he still felt heavyhearted looking at the names. Some of the dead were among his closest friends. Names like Gunther and Nanaba made him especially sad. He continued on until he came to stop at the largest headstone. It was set apart from the rest because of the person’s rank. Some of the other headstones were larger than others because they were either heads of the Caracal hunting committee or the top hunter or the mates of said hunters and committee members. One’s mate held the same status in Caracal society as the highest-ranking mate. Basically, whoever had the highest rank, their mate inherited that rank.

 

Levi let out a sad sigh and rested his hand on the headstone. Even though it had been five years since that fateful battle, he never stopped feeling the sadness of losing those who were dear to him. He doubted he ever would.

 

“Papa?” A tiny voice squeaked and Levi felt a light tug on his tunic.

 

Levi would recognize that voice anywhere, even in the deepest of sleep. The voice belonged to his precious daughter. While no one could replace Isabel, he knew that having a daughter was a sign from the universe for him to know that it was okay to move on, to let go of his sadness. While the birth of his daughter had in fact help ease some of the pain, he also knew it would never go away.

 

“What is it, Kitten?” Levi let his soft gaze fall on the little girl standing at his feet.

 

“This is sad.” She pouted and extended her arms above her head so Levi would pick her up. “I don’t like it.”  


“It’s a sad day, baby.” He told her gently and picked her up, settling her on his hip. “On this day, five years ago, we lost a lot of people.”

 

“Oh,” The girl said. “Is that why everyone is so sad?”

 

“Yes,” Levi explained to her. “A lot of Kyojin died. All these headstones have the names of individuals who passed.”

 

“Wow,” The little Caracal breathed as she looked around.

 

It was moments like these that she reminded Levi of Eren. Of course she looked like Eren, seeing as he contributed half his DNA into her. But it was more than her gorgeous green eyes and her slightly tan skin. Eren was there in her curiosity, the way she spoke, when she was downright stubborn and in her passion, Eren was always there.

 

 

Sure, she looked like Levi too. While her eyes may be green like Eren’s, she had Levi’s silky (and tamable) black locks, his round nose, his thin lips and of course, she had inherited the ears and tail of a Caracal.

 

She was, as Farlan put it, the perfect mix of human and Caracal.

 

“Papa,” The little girl whined after a few more minutes of silence.

 

“Yes?” He held back a chuckle at her lack of patience. That was Eren too.

 

“I’m hungry.” She complained. “Can we go now? There’s no one else here.”

 

Levi looked around and realized that she was right everyone had gone back already. Levi must’ve lost track of time again.  

 

“Yes, we can go back now.” Levi patted her on the head before setting her down on the ground and taking her tiny hand in his.

 

The father-daughter duo slowly made their way out of the graveyard and back to the castle. Levi stopped along the way to buy her a new dress for her favorite doll as a present for being such a good girl. He figured the gift would be enough to keep her happy for the rest of the long walk home.

 

While the walk was not something that he knew would bother her as far as stamina went, he knew that long walks sometimes bore her and he didn’t feel like dealing with her asking him “are we there yet?” five million times.

 

Thankfully, the dress did in fact keep his little one busy for the remainder of the walk and it wasn’t much longer before they reached the inside of the castle. The moment they were through the doors, a familiar smiling face greeted them.

 

“Grandma!” The little girl squealed and raced towards the woman.

 

“Hi there!” The woman laughed and picked up the tiny Caracal.

 

“Hi, Carla.” Levi smiled at the woman.

 

Carla was the only royal who held power at the time of the coup that survived. This was mostly due to the fact that she wasn’t even at the castle that night in the first place. Carla was visiting an old friend whom she called Ilse in Sina. Levi had a hunch that Eren tipped her off but he wasn’t angry. He knew that she would’ve instantly surrendered had she been in the castle. So no matter where she was, she was going to live.

 

Levi didn’t like having to explain to her what had happened. He let Armin and Mikasa do most of the talking when she had returned the following evening. He stood next to his cousin and occasionally nodded in agreement but never offered much input.

 

He was surprised when Carla hugged him after finding out about Eren. He had expected her to yell or scream at him. Hell he would’ve even let her blame him because he was already doing that himself. But a hug was completely unexpected. So much so that he began to cry. The hug made the whole thing real finally.

 

“Did you and Papa have a fun afternoon together?” Carla asked the little girl.

 

“Uh huh!” The little girl nodded her head wildly before showing Carla the new doll’s dress. “Papa got my doll a new dress!”

 

“It’s very pretty,” Carla told her before setting the girl down. “Why don’t you go put it on your doll and show Uncle Farlan?”

 

“Okay!” The girl agreed before racing in the direction of her room, leaving Carla and Levi alone.

 

“Farlan’s here?” Levi asked once the girl was out of sight.

 

“Yes, he came back for the night. He said he was going to spend the night before returning to the waterfall.” Carla told him. “How’d it go today?”

 

“Same as always,” Levi admitted honestly. “It never gets any easier.”

 

“It probably never will,” Carla said sadly. “But they wouldn’t want you to be sad anymore, Levi. You have a wonderful life now. You’re free again and you have a child.”

 

“I know,” Levi smiled softly. “And I’m thankful but I just miss them. They would’ve loved Kainda.”

 

“They would have,” Carla smiled. “I’ll let you go get ready for dinner.”

 

“I’ll see you then,” Levi smiled before turning to make his way to his room.

 

He opened the door to his room and immediately made his way to the bed. For a long moment he just sat and thought about everything. He thought about the battle and how hard it was to say goodbye to Isabel. He thought about how he found out that he was pregnant with Kainda and how happy he was but also how sad he was. The years following the battle and resuming power of the Kyojin. And finally, he thought about Eren.

 

He was so deep in thought that he didn’t hear the door open and actually jumped when a hand touched his bicep.

 

“Sorry!” The man apologized when Levi scratched him. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

 

“Jesus, Eren.” Levi complained but allowed Eren to pull him against his stupidly broad chest. “Why’d you do that?”

 

“I thought you heard me,” He laughed.

 

“Obviously not!”

 

“Sorry,” Eren half heartedly apologized. “What were you thinking about?”

 

“Everything,” Levi admitted while he played with his wedding ring.

 

It took a lot of convincing for Levi to finally indulge in “a stupid human ritual” but when he realized how important it was to Eren, he finally caved and got married. Levi decided that it wasn’t that bad of a ritual but he never told Eren. He had a feeling that Eren already knew that though.

 

“I miss Isabel too,” Eren said knowing what Levi had actually meant.

 

“Have you seen Kainda since we got back?” Levi changed the subject.

 

“Yes,” Eren decided not to push the topic any further. “She came and found Farlan and I to show us her new doll dress.”

 

“She really likes that dress,” Levi hummed happily. There was nothing like watching his mate interact with their kitten.

 

“Yes, she does.” Eren agreed with a chuckle. “We need to stop spoiling her.”

 

“I’m not spoiling her.” Levi grumbled. “I’m just keeping her happy.”

 

“If by ‘happy’ you mean pacifying then yes, you are.” Eren flicked Levi’s ear.

 

“I don’t pacify my kittens,” Levi complained.

 

“It’s okay to spoil her a little, Levi,” Eren told him. “But in reality, we need to start teaching her about how to rule soon.”

 

“She’s five.” Levi scowled at the idea of forcing his daughter to grow up so young.

 

“Farlan told me that he learned how to run the tribe when he was two,” Eren said.

 

“That was under completely different circumstances,” Levi told him. “We were being enslaved and I needed to know that there would be someone to take my place should something happen. We aren’t being enslaved anymore, Eren. Hell, the tribe fucking lives out back.”

 

It was true, the tribe did live behind the castle. Levi had decided after the fall of the King that he was going to rule along side Eren should he survive the gunshot wound. When Eren pulled through, Levi got to work constructing a suitable living area for his tribe. While they were nomadic by nature, Levi found that if he built a shelter behind the castle then the tribe could go back and forth between the shelter and the cave every few seasons.

 

In the hot season, the Caracal moved to the cave where it was cooler and they could be present at the newly revived festival. Levi followed them for a month (give or take a week or two) so that he could make an appearance at the festival. Eren was against Levi leaving him behind but when Levi explained that this was one of few times the general Kyojin public would see him outside the castle except for meetings with their tribal heads, Eren relented. While the Kyojin had no problem with Levi taking Eren for a mate, it was still important to them-and to Levi too- that Levi participate in Kyojin rituals, government and festivals. He was still a huge part of their society and Eren fully respected that.

 

In the cooler seasons, the Caracal rejoin Levi at the castle and stay in the shelter. While Levi doesn’t typically sleep in the shelter with his tribe (unless he’s mad at Eren), he does spend a great deal of his time with them. This also allows for their daughter to learn to hunt, understand ranking and social structure and how to be a Caracal in general. Sometimes, Eren will spend time in the shelter with his child and husband as well.

 

All in all, it was a good set up they had going.

 

It wasn’t just the Caracal that remained close by. Armin’s tribe also remained in the area. This was mostly because Armin didn’t want to leave the castle or his friends and so the tribe decided to stay with him. They didn’t live on castle grounds like the Caracal but they stayed in the nearby forest. Occasionally, Levi would run into a stray retriever or two around the castle but he didn’t mind. The castle doors were always open to Kyojin looking to visit.

  
The same went for Mikasa’s tribe. They lived a little bit further out that the retrievers since they were much more cautious by nature, but that didn’t stop the more curious youngsters from tumbling into Levi and sparking a play session or two. Eren never told Levi how adorable he thought it was to watch Levi tussle around on the ground with a few Panther cubs and their own kitten. There was nothing cuter to Eren than Levi allowing tiny kittens to chew on his tail and ears without complaint.

 

“She’ll learn in her own time,” Levi finally sighed and butted heads with Eren. “She’s got a lot of time before she needs to worry about ruling anything. Caracals live a long time and she’s got a predecessor already in line on my side. She’ll be fine.”

 

“I suppose so,” Eren relented. “We should probably join everyone for dinner.”

 

“After you, King Jaeger.” Levi teased as he held open their bedroom door.

 

“Why thank you, King Jaeger.” Eren laughed.

 

 

[ _さよならひとり　抱きあうように_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQQJ7zBzYJs)

[ _この世界に咲きみだれて_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQQJ7zBzYJs)

[ _さよならひとり　悲しまないで_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQQJ7zBzYJs)

[ _この世界に咲き誇る花よ_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQQJ7zBzYJs)

 

_Goodbye, so that we can embrace each other again_

_You bloom all around in this world_

_A single goodbye, don't be sad_

 

_In this world, (you’re) a flower that blooms in full glory_

 

 

 

**Fin.**

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all thought I was going to kill Eren! I actually did lol but so many of you were so upset so I rewrote the epilogue just for you. I may post the original ending but I'm not 100% if I will. I can't believe it is finally over!!!! I mean, this obviously didn't take me long to post since it was pre-written but still. I am so thankful to all of you guys and I hope that you all will continue to enjoy my other stories. 
> 
> I do have plans for the other side fic to this so I'm not totally done yet but it's weird to finish a fic. It's not a long fic by any means but it's an accomplishment none the same. 
> 
> Levi and Eren's daughter's name means "Huntress".
> 
> Meaning of the title:
> 
> The name 'Sayonara Hitori' is a song sung by the artist Lee Taemin. He sings it in Japanese and Korean but the name is Japanese. The meaning ROUGHLY translates to Solitary Goodbye or Lonely Goodbye. So the Korean version is just called 'Goodbye'. I hyperlinked the lyrics so you can click on it to see the M/V. There's a lot of symbolism that fits the fic and the overall feel of it reminds me of the fic as well. Watch it and see if you can figure out what I'm talking about!!! 
> 
> Anyway, thank you all so much (again)! I appreciate every view, kudo and comment.

**Author's Note:**

> Author is hungry. Soup is not filling. Feed the starving, hangry author with comments and kudos.


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